Evaluating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of White Mustard Essential Oil Alone and in Combination with Thymol and Carvacrol against .

It is estimated that nontyphoidal causes approximately 1 million illnesses and 378 deaths per year in the United States. Reduction of -related foodborne infections can be achieved through application of food antimicrobials. Essential oils in combination with other antimicrobials can be added to food products to reduce the levels of the organism below the infectious dose for healthy individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of white mustard essential oil (WMEO) against serovars of and its potential to be used with carvacrol or thymol to control . Results showed that WMEO at the highest concentration of 0.84% (v/v) compared with the positive control had approximately a 6- to 7-log reduction for all serovars. It was found that no difference in susceptibility existed among the serovars tested ( > 0.05). In addition, the MICs were determined to be 0.5, 0.02, and 0.02% for WMEO, carvacrol, and thymol, respectively, against Typhimurium. The fractional inhibitory concentration index was calculated. A score of 1 indicated an additive effect occurred when WMEO was combined with thymol or carvacrol. Combining WMEO with carvacrol or thymol indicated that the concentration of individual essential oils needed to inhibit can be reduced using these combinations and warrants further study to determine potential use in controlling in commercial food products.