Mixture of Origanum heracleoticum L. and Satureja montana L. Essential Oils as Natural Antimicrobial Agents for Fresh Meat Preservation

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial potential of individual EOs of Origanum vulgare L., Origanum heracleoticum L., Satureja montana L., and Tagetes patula L. (extracted from organically grown plants), as well as a mixture containing O. heracleoticum L. and S. montana L., on some bacterial contaminants of meat and meat products, under in vitro conditions and on a fresh meat model. The composition of EOs was determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and their antimicrobial activity in vitro was evaluated by the microdilution method. The main components detected in the O. vulgare L., O. heracleoticum L., and S. montana L. EOs were carvacrol (29.56 % ± 0.01 % , 29.53 % ± 0.1 % , and 50.45 % ± 0.33 % , respectively), and in T. patula L. EO, α ‐terpinolene and pulespenone (14.20 % ± 0.05 % and 13.19 ± 0.06, respectively). In in vitro tests, the O. heracleoticum L. EO showed the strongest antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes (MIC 0.45 μ L/mL, MBC 1.78 μ L/mL), and the weakest was the T. patula L. EO against Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium (MIC 56.82 μ L/mL, MBC 113.64 μ L/mL). A mixture of O. heracleoticum L. and S. montana L. EOs had a synergistic effect against E. coli , S. Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus , and Bacillus cereus , with a FIC index in a range of 0.31–0.51. When this EO mixture was applied to the surface of fresh pork meat, the number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria and enterobacteria decreased (for a maximum of 1.51 log CFU/g and a minimum of 0.12 log CFU/g) compared to the control sample in which the EO mixture was not added. Therefore, this mixture showed great potential for further investigations aimed at industrial application, especially in the production of sausages, fresh ready‐to‐use salads, and bakery products.