Thymol: a novel eco-friendly defense against biological threats

A poster focused on the role of the essential oils as potential antimicrobial agents againstbiological threats and in particular on thymol-based green disinfectant. The antibacterialproperties of four Essential Oils (EOs) were studied by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration(MIC) evaluation against two reference strains, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 (Gram positive) and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 (Gram negative). MIC is defined as the lowestconcentration of an antimicrobial agent that, under specific in vitro conditions, preventsvisible growth within a defined time. Thymol displayed the most effective antimicrobialactivity, followed by Carvacrol, Eugenol, and Menthol in decreasing order. MinimumBactericidal Concentration (MBC) was also assessed. It represents the minimumconcentration of the antibacterial agent that reduces bacterial viability by 99.9% or more.The MBC for the tested EOs was higher than the MIC, suggesting that a slightly higherconcentration is required for complete bacterial killing.Moreover the antimicrobial activity of EOs was investigated through dose-response andtime course experiments. The bactericidal activity was fully manifested after one minuteof incubation. Thymol is a promising innovative antimicrobial agent with potentialapplications in contexts involving microbial threats, meeting the increasing demand fornatural disinfectants.