Citrus essential oils show food preservation potential

02-Oct-2011 - Last updated on 03-Oct-2011 at 16:02 GMT

The growth of fungal growth on food may be cut by over 60% by treating food with a citrus essential oil vapour, according to new findings from Britain.

The commercially available Citri-V essential oil vapour was associated with significant reductions in the growth of A. niger, P. chrysogenum, and A. alternate, respectively, according to findings published in Food Research International.

“The fact Citri-V has been shown not to affect the organoleptic properties of foodstuffs means that it may be used in industrial situations such as the storage of grain,” wrote the researchers from the University of Northampton.

“Although the reduction in P. chrysogenum and A. niger growth is only approximately 57.8% and 70.8% respectively, Citri-V, a natural product which is GRAS, could be used combined with other preservative regimes such as chemical fungicides which might mean that the latter could be used at lower concentrations addressing some of the environmental and public perception issues associated with their use.”

Study details

The England-based scientists note that fungal spoilage and poisoning of food are a major problem, and up to 50% of a crop may be lost without fungicide treatment.

The move away from synthetic fungicides is driving the demand for alternatives, and essential oils may be effective against a range of fungi. However, many essential oils may detrimentally affect the organoleptic properties of the food.

Using the commercially available Citr-V, the researchers tested the essential oils against a range of fungi.

Results showed a 15 minute exposure to the citrus essential oils produced a 44%, 34% and 67% reduction in the growth of P. chrysogenum, A. niger and A. alternate, respectively.

“Although the citrus essential oil vapour was not an effective treatment to reduce spoilage of tomatoes by A. alternata, it reduced the growth of A. niger and P. chrysogenum by 50–60% on grain over 10 days, suggesting its possible use in reducing spoilage in grain by these two species, especially as this treatment has previously been shown not to affect the organoleptic properties of raw vegetables.”

Source: Food Research International
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2011.07.035
“The use of Citri-V – An antimicrobial citrus essential oil vapour for the control of Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger and Alternaria alternata in vitro and on food”
Authors: C.A. Phillips, K. Laird, S.C. Allen