Skip to main content
Log in

Linalool Affects the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Essential Oils

  • Published:
Current Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The high concentrations of essential oils are generally required to receive microbial purity of the products (cosmetics, medicine). On the other hand, their application due to the high concentration of essential oils may be limited by changes in organoleptic and textural quality of the products, as well as they cause irritation and allergies in users. Addition of linalool to essential oil may significantly enhance its antimicrobial effectiveness and reduce their concentrations in products, taking advantage of their synergistic and additive effects. The aim of the study was to compare antimicrobial activity of essential oil alone and in combination with linalool. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris, Juniperus communis, Pelargonium graveolens, Citrus bergamia, Citrus grandis, Lavandula angustifolia, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Melaleuca alternifolia, Syzygium aromaticum, linalool and their combination was investigated against bacteria and fungi using the disc diffusion method. The addition of linalool to S. aromaticum oil in a synergistic manner enhanced its antimicrobial efficacy against P. aeruginosa and A. brasiliensis. Moreover, the additive interaction between this oil and linalool was observed against S. aureus, E. coli and C. albicans. It was also found that linalool in an additive manner increased the antimicrobial effectiveness of T. vulgaris oil against P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial properties of mixture of essential oils with their active constituents may be used for creating new strategies to maintain microbiological purity of products.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Arldogan BC, Baydar H, Kaya S, Demirci M, Ozbasar D, Mumcu E (2002) Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of some essential oils. Arch Pharm Res 25:860–864

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bassolé IHN, Juliani HR (2012) Essential oils in combination and their antimicrobial properties. Molecules 17:3989–4006

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bassolé IHN, Lamien-Meda A, Bayala B, Tirogo S, Franz C, Novak J, Nebié RC, Dicko MH (2010) Composition and antimicrobial activities of Lippia multiflora Moldenke, Mentha piperita L. and Ocimum basilicum L. essential oils and their major monoterpene alcohols alone and in combination. Molecules 15:7825–7839

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Blakeway JM (1990) Fragrances as preservatives. SOFW J 116:357–359

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Carroll JF, Tabanca N, Kramer M, Elejalde NM, Wedge DE, Bernier UR, Coy M, Becnel JJ, Demirci B, Başer KH, Zhang J, Zhang S (2011) Essential oils of Cupressus funebris, Juniperus communis, and J. chinensis (Cupressaceae) as repellents against ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and as toxicants against mosquitoes. J Vector Ecol 36:258–268

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Carson CF, Hammer KA, Riley TV (2006) Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil: a review of antimicrobial and other medicinal properties. Clin Microbiol Rev 19:50–62

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chang ST, Chen PF, Chang SC (2001) Antibacterial activity of leaf essential oils and their constituents from Cinnamomum osmophloeum. J Ethnopharmacol 77:123–127

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Cox SD, Mann CM, Markham JL (2001) Interactions between components of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia. J Appl Microbiol 91:492–497

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. D’Auria FD, Tecca M, Strippoli V, Salvatore G, Battinelli L, Mazzanti G (2005) Antifungal activity of Lavandula angustifolia essential oil against Candida albicans yeast and mycelial form. Med Mycol 43:391–396

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Devi KP, Nisha SA, Sakthivel R, Pandian SK (2010) Eugenol (an essential oil of clove) acts as an antibacterial agent against Salmonella typhi by disrupting the cellular membrane. J Ethnopharm 130:107–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Dorman HJD, Deans SG (2000) Antimicrobial agents from plants: antibacterial activity of plant volatile oils. J Appl Microbiol 88:308–316

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Dzamic A, Sokovic M, Ristic MS, Grijic-Jovanovic S, Vukojevic J, Marin PD (2009) Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Illicium verum and Eugenia caryophyllata essential oils. Chem Nat Compd 45:259–261

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Fei L, Hao L, Qipeng Y, Chunfang L (2011) In vitro antimicrobial effects and mechanism of action of selected plant essential oil combinations against four food-related microorganisms. Food Res Int 44:3057–3064

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Gallucci MN, Oliva M, Castro C, Dambolena J, Luna A, Zygadlo J, Demo M (2009) Antimicrobial combined action of terpenes against the food-borne microorganisms Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. Flavour Fragr J 24:348–354

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gutierrez J, Barry-Ryan C, Bourke P (2008) The antimicrobial efficacy of plant essential oil combinations and interactions with food ingredients. Int J Food Microbiol 124:91–97

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV (2003) Antifungal activity of the components of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil. J Appl Microbiol 95:853–860

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Herman A, Herman AP, Domagalska BW, Młynarczyk A (2013) Essential oils and herbal extracts as antimicrobial agents in cosmetic emulsion. Ind J Microbiol 53:232–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Hussain AJ, Anwar F, Sherazi STH, Przybylski R (2008) Chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of basil (Ocimum basilicum) essential oils depends on seasonal variations. Food Chem 108:986–995

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Inouye S, Takizawa T, Yamaguchi H (2001) Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact. J Antimicrob Chemother 47:565–573

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Jana S, Patra K, Sarkar S, Jana J, Mukherjee G, Bhattacharjee S, Mandal DP (2014) Antitumorigenic potential of linalool is accompanied by modulation of oxidative stress: an in vivo study in sarcoma-180 solid tumor model. Nutr Cancer 66:835–848

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kamatou GPP, Viljoen AM (2008) Linalool—a review of a biologically active compound of commercial importance. Nat Prod Commun 3:1183–1192

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kon KV, Rai MK (2012) Plant essential oils and their constituents in coping with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Exp Rev Anti Infect Ther 10:775–790

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Lachowicz KJ, Jones GP, Briggs DR, Bienvenu FE, Wan J, Wilcock A, Coventry MJ (1998) The synergistic preservative effects of the essential oils of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) against acid-tolerant food microflora. Lett Appl Microbiol 26:209–214

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Langeveld WT, Veldhuizen EJA, Burt SA (2014) Synergy between essential oil components and antibiotics: a review. Crit Rev Microbiol 40:6–94

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Liu K, Chen Q, Liu Y, Zhou X, Wang X (2012) Isolation and biological activities of decanal, linalool, valencene, and octanal from sweet orange oil. J Food Sci 77:1156–1161

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Nerio LS, Olivero-Verbel J, Stashenko E (2010) Repellent activity of essential oils: a review. Bioresour Technol 101:372–378

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Pattnaik S, Subramanyam VR, Bapaji M, Kole CR (1997) Antibacterial and antifungal activity of aromatic constituents of essential oils. Microbios 89:39–46

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Peana AT, D’Aquila PS, Panin F, Serra G, Pippia P, Moretti MDL (2002) Anti-inflammatory activity of linalool and linalyl acetate constituents of essential oils. Phytomedicine 9:721–726

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Pei RS, Zhou F, Ji BP, Xu J (2009) Evaluation of combined antibacterial effects of eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, thymol, and carvacrol against E. coli with an improved method. J Food Sci 74:379–383

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Pina-Vaz C, Gonçalves Rodrigues A, Pinto E, Costa-de-Oliveira S, Tavares C, Salgueiro L, Cavaleiro C, Gonçalves MJ, Martinez-de-Oliveira J (2004) Antifungal activity of Thymus oils and their major compounds. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 18:73–78

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Raina VK, Srivastava SK, Aggarwal KK, Ramesh S, Kumar S (2001) Essential oil composition of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume leaves from Little Andaman, India. Flavour Fragr J 16:374–376

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Rana VS, Juyal JP, Blazquez MA (2002) Chemical constituents of essential oil of Pelargonium graveolens leaves. Int J Aromather 12:216–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Reichling J, Schnitzler P, Suschke U, Saller R (2009) Essential oils of aromatic plants with antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and cytotoxic properties—an overview. Forschende Komplementmedizin 16:79–90

    Google Scholar 

  34. Sawamura M, Onishi Y, Ikemoto J, Tu NTM, Phi NTL (2006) Characteristic odour components of bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso) essential oil. Flavour Fragr J 21:609–615

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Toroglu S (2011) In-vitro antimicrobial activity and synergistic/antagonistic effect of interactions between antibiotics and some spice essential oils. J Environ Biol 32:23–29

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Tserennadmid R, Takó M, Galgóczy L, Papp T, Pesti M, Vágvölgyi C, Almássy K, Krisch J (2011) Anti yeast activities of some essential oils in growth medium, fruit juices and milk. Int J Food Microbiol 144:480–486

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Uysal B, Sozmen F, Aktas O, Oksal BS, Kose EO (2011) Essential oil composition and antibacterial activity of the grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi L.) peel essential oils obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction: comparison with hydrodistillation. Int J Food Sci Technol 46:1455–1461

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna Herman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Herman, A., Tambor, K. & Herman, A. Linalool Affects the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Essential Oils. Curr Microbiol 72, 165–172 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-015-0933-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-015-0933-4

Keywords

Navigation