Essential Oils of and Exhibit Distinct Antibacterial Activity at Different Temperatures In Vitro and on Chicken Skin.

The bacterial contamination of meat is a global concern, especially for the risk of infection that can lead to health issues. Artificial antibacterial compounds used to preserve fresh meat can have negative health effects. We investigated the potential of natural essential oils (EOs), namely (mint) and (cinnamon) EOs, to prevent contamination of the food pathogen, subsp. serotype Typhimurium, in vitro and on chicken skin. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique was used to determine the compositions of mint EO (MEO) and cinnamon EO (CEO); the most abundant compound in MEO was menthol (68.61%), and the most abundant compound was cinnamaldehyde (83.32%) in CEO. The antibacterial activity of MEO and CEO were examined in vapor and direct contact with at temperatures of 4 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C. The minimal inhibitory concentration at 37 °C for MEO and CEO reached 20.83 µL/mL, and the minimal bactericidal concentration of CEO was the same, while for MEO, it was two-fold higher. We report that in most tested conditions in experiments performed in vitro and on chicken skin, CEO exhibits a stronger antibacterial effect than MEO. In the vapor phase, MEO was more effective against than CEO at 4 °C. In direct contact, the growth of was inhibited more efficiently by MEO than CEO at small concentrations and a longer exposure time at 37 °C. The exploration of CEO and MEO employment for the inhibition of bacteria at different temperatures and conditions expands the possibilities of developing more environment- and consumer-friendly antibacterial protection for raw meat.