Antimicrobial Effects and Antioxidant Activity of Myrtus communis L. Essential Oil in Beef Stored under Different Packaging Conditions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the antimicrobial effects of myrtle (<i>Myrtus communis</i> L.) essential oil (EO) on pathogenic (<i>E. coli</i> O157:H7 NCTC 12900; Listeria monocytogenes ATCC BAA-679) and spoilage microbiota in beef and determine its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and antioxidant activity. The behavior of LAB, Enterobacteriaceae, <i>Pseudomonas</i> spp., and fungi, as well as total mesophilic (TM) and total psychotropic (TP) counts, in beef samples, was analyzed during storage at 2 and 8 °C in two different packaging systems (aerobiosis and vacuum). Leaves of myrtle were dried, its EO was extracted by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the chemical composition was determined using chromatographical techniques. The major compounds obtained were myrtenyl acetate (15.5%), β-linalool (12.3%), 1,8-cineole (eucalyptol; 9.9%), geranyl acetate (7.4%), limonene (6.2%), α-pinene (4.4%), linalyl o-aminobenzoate (5.8%), α-terpineol (2.7%), and myrtenol (1.2%). Myrtle EO presented a MIC of 25 µL/mL for <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7 NCTC 12900, <i>E. coli</i>, <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> ATCC BAA-679, Enterobacteriaceae, and <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7 ATCC 35150 and 50µL/mL for <i>Pseudomonas</i> spp. The samples packed in aerobiosis had higher counts of deteriorative microorganisms than samples packed under vacuum, and samples with myrtle EO presented the lowest microbial contents, indicating good antimicrobial activity in beef samples. Myrtle EO is a viable natural alternative to eliminate or reduce the pathogenic and deteriorative microorganisms of meat, preventing their growth and enhancing meat safety.