Thymol-rich essential oil from Oliveria decumbens Vent. exhibits antibacterial activity

The future of the food network will deal with the desire for significant changes: novel dietary tendencies and solutions to improve environmental protection. Therefore, a raising demand has been allocated to seek for natural substances in food safety and environmental protection. A comprehensive integrated research was carried out to probe the antimicrobial impact of essential oil of Oliveria decumbens Vent. herb against several major deleterious bacteria affecting foods from "farm to folk". The oil inhibited all treated bacteria, appraised by three criteria e.g. inhibition via dissemination of the oil loaded on paper disks, bacteriostatic activity, and bactericidal efficiency. Depending on the strain, recorded inhibition in solid media was varied between 7 mm and 29.67 mm. When the bacteria were in direct contact with the oil, they were characterized to be inhibited by various concentrations of the oil (0.03 g L^{- 1} to 1.36 g L^{- 1} as the minimum and maximum effective values) depending on the exposed strain. Treatment with this natural oil enhanced crystal violet uptake and triggered leakage of intracellular components, indicating disruption of membrane integrity and increased cell membrane permeability. The oil contained high levels of thymol, followed by carvacrol and gamma-terpinene in descending order. Obtained achievements were encouraging and in-depth studies are required for final insertion, which is imperative to lessen the burden of microorganisms taken in.