Antibacterial Activity of Helichrysum italicum Oil on Vegetables and Its Mechanism of Action

In the present paper, the chemical composition of Helichrysum italicum oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). Neryl acetate (32.65%) was the main component. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of H. italicum oil against several bacteria were evaluated. The results showed that H. italicum oil exhibited high antibacterial activity against all of the bacteria tested. In addition, H. italicum oil also displayed a significant effect on inhibiting the growth rate of surviving Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and on vegetables. Meanwhile, addition of H. italicum oil to vegetable exerted a bacteriostatic effect. Besides, the mechanisms of the antimicrobial action of H. italicum oil to E. coli and S. aureus were concluded as that H. italicum oil could disrupt the cell membrane integrity, leading to the losses of intracellular constituents, such as the 260 nm absorbing materials, DNA and ATP. Practical Applications As a kind of natural, safe spice, Helichrysum italicum oil has been proven to be a good antibacterial agent against a wide range of bacteria at a low concentration and short incubation time. Especially, H. italicum oil exhibits a significant bacteriostatic effect in vegetables. Based on the results, we believe that H. italicum oil can be applied in vegetable processing and preservation.