Antibacterial Effect of Mentha piperita Essential Oil Against Foodborne Pathogens in Minced Meat During Storage at Abuse Refrigeration Temperature

With expansion of food trade in today’s world, preserving food products and extending their shelf lives is a necessity. In this regard, using natural and safe preservatives such as essential oils has a particular importance. The aim of the present study is to determine the chemical composition of Mentha piperita essential oil (MEO) using Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry,evaluate the in vitro antibacterial capacity of MEO against L.monocytogenes and S.typhimurium using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays, and evaluate the effects of MEO on fate of inoculated L.monocytogenes and S.typhimurium in minced beef during 9 days storage at 7ºC. The essential oil was composed of18 various compounds (96.16% of total oil). Among all components menthol was the most abundant compound (43.12%). The MIC and MBC of MEO against L.monocytogenes and S.typhimurium were 1250 and 2500 μg/mL, as well as 2500 and 5000 μg/mL, respectively. The addition of 2% MEO caused a reduction about 2 and 3 log10 CFU/g against inoculated L.monocytogenes and S.typhimurium (P< 0.05) in minced meat compared with the control group, respectively. The results showed that MEO as a naturalpreservative caninhibit the growth of L.monocytogenes and S.typhimurium in meat and maintain this pathogens at acceptable levels in order to prevent the risk of food infections for consumers.