Identification of Anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) Essential Oil Compounds and Investigation of its Effect on Some Foodborne Pathogens: Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157: H7and Salmonella typhimurium

Background and Objectives: Nowadays, use of essential oils in food preservation is popular by researchers not only as antimicrobial agents but also as replacements for synthetic harmful preservatives. Objectives of this study were extraction and identification of Anise essential oil (AEO) compounds as well as assessment of the oil antimicrobial properties on four Gram-negative and Gram-positive foodborne pathogens.  Materials & Methods: After extraction of AEO using Clevenger apparatus and water distillation method, GC/MS was used to identify extracted essential oil compounds. Furthermore, the oil minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was calculated for Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium using microdilution of BHI media in 96-well plates. Results: Trans-anethole (87.47%), gamma-himachalene (6.46%) and meta-anisaldehyde (2.48%) were the major components of AEO. Moreover, MIC for B. cereus, S. aureus, S. typhimurium and E. coli O157:H7 included 0.05, 0.06, 0.2 and 0.25 µg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the major volatile component of AEO was trans-anethole (87.47%). The AEO with an appropriate antimicrobial activity can increase food safety by controlling growth of food pathogens.