Antibacterial activity of the vapor phase of Thymus mastichina essential oil

Essential oils have a diverse spectrum of biological activities, they are also low-toxic, and easily degradable in the human body. These properties make them suitable candidates for the protection and shelf-life extension of agricultural products. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of the vapor phase of Thymus mastichina essential oil against microorganisms on model fruit and vegetable crops. To compare the efficacy of vapor phase essential oil with contact application using the disc diffusion method against the tested microorganisms. Based on the methods we used, we concluded that Thymus mastichina essential has higher efficacy in a vapor application. For most of the tested microorganisms and on all the tested crops, the most significant inhibition was detected at the lowest tested concentration of 62.5 µL/L. Only moderate antimicrobial activity was detected in contact application and lower efficacy compared to antibiotics. These findings suggest that in the future Thymus mastichina essential oil could find application in crop storage to prevent crop deterioration due to microbial pathogens. Due to the need for low concentrations, it is assumed that the sensory properties of the crop for the consumer will not be affected. The replacement of synthetic fungicides and bactericides with natural alternatives could have a positive impact on the environment.