Essential oils (also called volatile or ethereal oils) are aromatic oily liquids obtained from plant material (buds, flowers, leaves, bark, twigs, seeds, herbs, wood, fruits and roots) and possess radical scavenging characteristics.
The significance of essential oils in food industry applications is attributed to their antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic characteristics. Their main active components are: thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, cinnamaldehyde and linalool, although their mechanism of action is still poorly understood.
Radicals involved in lipid peroxidation can be scavenged by antioxidants. Because of health protective role of antioxidants, essential oils can be used as food additives. Since ancient times, spices in different types of food to improve flavors are well known for their antioxidant capacities.
The essential oils effectiveness is attributed to the presence of phenolic natural compounds and they are an important and healthy alternative to synthetic preservatives and chemical additives. The FDA treats antimicrobial agents of natural origin as GRAS type products, including plant products and their essential oils.
Essential oils
