The Impact of Essential Oils From Aromatic Plants on Microbial Dynamics and Nutrition in Lacto‐Fermented Systems

Lacto-fermented food products, including fermented dairy products, cereal products, processed fruits and vegetables, and meat products, may seem like the right choices for healthy food categories. Probiotic products in this group are generally produced by adding probiotic bacteria (<i>Lactobacillus</i> and <i>Bifidobacterium</i>, etc.) to food matrices. But in this production method, the short shelf lives of microorganisms require the addition of some prebiotics or natural substances like essential oils (EOs) of some plants to formulations of synbiotic products. The EOs are the most commonly known secondary metabolites that are responsible for characteristic scents and also display important bioactive properties, like antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects in medicinal and aromatic plants. EOs extracted from various spices and plants exhibit potent inhibitory effects against a broad range of microorganisms. The combination of secondary metabolites with lactic acid bacteria in food products can enhance probiotic viability while inhibiting pathogens through antimicrobial activity. However, EOs may also adversely affect lactic culture development. Further research is needed to identify suitable plant species and determine safe application methods for EOs in probiotic and lacto-fermented products.