POTENTIAL ROLE OF LEAF ESSENTIAL OIL AND EXTRACTS OF METASEQUOIA GLYPTOSTROBOIDES MIKI EX HU TO INHIBIT THE GROWTH OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES SPP.

The present study was undertaken to assess the antilisterial potential of the essential oil and extracts (hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol) of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miki ex Hu leaf against Listeria monocytogenes spp. The chemical composition of the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Forty-nine compounds representing 94.62% of the total oil were identified, of which 2-butaneone (30.60%), cyclopentane (15.10%), beta-myrcene (13.29%), cyclobutane (7.67%), furan (3.00%), valeramide (2.81%), borneol (1.20%), beta-farnesene (1.67%), thymol (1.44%) and alpha-pinene (1.46%) were found to be the major compounds. The oil (5, 10, 15 mu L disk-1 ) and extracts (400 mu g disk-1 ) revealed remarkable antilisterial effect against L. monocytogenes ATCC 19111, L. monocytogenes ATCC 19116, L. monocytogenes ATCC 19118, L. monocytogenes ATCC 19166 and L. monocytogenes ATCC 15313. Also, the oil had strong detrimental effect on the viable count of the tested bacteria. These findings support the potential role of M. glyptostroboides as a natural antilisterial agent for use in food industry. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The use of essential oil and organic extracts of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Miki ex Hu as antilisterial agents will be suitable for application in food industry as natural preservatives or flavoring to control foodborne pathogens. They can be used as growth inhibitors of Listeria monocytogenes, a most virulent foodborne pathogen. The main reason for their suitability is their natural origin, which consumers find comforting and which is beneficial for the environment, and there is a very low risk that pathogens will develop resistance to the mixture of the components that make up the oil and extracts with their apparent diversity of antibacterial mechanisms. These beneficial characteristics could increase food safety and shelf life.