Effect of Conventional Preservatives and Essential Oils on the Survival and Growth of IEscherichia coli/I in Vegetable Sauces: A Comparative Study

Essential oils have gained attention as natural alternatives to chemical preservatives in food preservation. However, more information is needed regarding consumer acceptance of essential oils in actual food products. This study aimed to compare the effects of conventional preservatives, heat treatm...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFoods Vol. 12; no. 15
Main Authors Hanková, Kateřina, Lupoměská, Petra, Nový, Pavel, Všetečka, Daniel, Klouček, Pavel, Kouřimská, Lenka, Hlebová, Miroslava, Božik, Matěj
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published MDPI AG 01.07.2023
Subjects
Citric acid
Contamination
Escherichia coli
Growth
Sauces
Vegetables
Czech Republic
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Essential oils have gained attention as natural alternatives to chemical preservatives in food preservation. However, more information is needed regarding consumer acceptance of essential oils in actual food products. This study aimed to compare the effects of conventional preservatives, heat treatment, and essential oils derived from thyme, oregano, and lemongrass on the survival and growth of pathogenic Escherichia coli in vegetable sauces. The results demonstrated a gradual decrease in pathogen numbers over time, even in untreated samples. On the fifth day of storage, heat treatment, sodium chloride, and acidification using citric acid (pH 3.2) exhibited reductions of 4.4 to 5.3 log CFU/g compared to the untreated control. Among the essential oils tested, lemongrass essential oil at a concentration of 512 mg/kg demonstrated the most remarkable effectiveness, resulting in a reduction of 1.9 log CFU/g compared to the control. Fifteen days after treatment, the control samples exhibited a contamination rate of 6.2 log CFU/g, while E. coli numbers in treated samples with heat, sodium chloride, citric acid (pH 3.2), and lemongrass essential oil (512 mg/kg) were below the detection limits. Additionally, sensory evaluation was conducted to assess the acceptability of the treated samples. The findings provide valuable insights into the potential utilisation of essential oils as natural preservatives in vegetable sauces and their impact on consumer acceptance.
ISSN:2304-8158
2304-8158
DOI:10.3390/foods12152832