The essential oils have antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antioxidant properties, due to the presence of phenolic compounds. They are therefore used as natural preservatives to inhibit microbial and oxidative spoilages in food products. In this study, the essential oil of Eryngium campestre was extracted and its total phenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidative activity, and antimicrobial effect were investigated. E. campestre essential oil contained a 66.53 mg GA/g total phenols and 29.10 mg QE/g total flavonoids. The bioactive compound had a 50.65% DPPH-radical scavenging activity and 57.87% DPPH- radical scavenging activity. The results showed that L. innocua and E. aerogenes were generally the most sensitive and resistant species to the oil, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations for E. aerogenes, P. aeruginosa, B. cereus, S. aureus and L. innocua were 50, 50, 25, 12.5 and 6.25 mg/ml, respectively, while the minimum bactericidal concentrations were for these bacteria was 200, 200, 100, 100 and 50 mg/ml, respectively. The E. campestre essential oil is rich in bioactive compounds and it can be therefore applied as a natural preservative to control oxidation reactions and microbial spoilage in food products.

Keywords: Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, Essential oil, Preservative.

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