Bacterial adaptation to essential oils and their main compounds in food systems: mechanisms related to antibacterial resistance
Essential oils (EOs) are complex mixtures of volatile metabolites with strong biological properties. Their multi-target mechanisms confer rapid bactericidal activity, lowering the likelihood of resistance development compared to antibiotics. This review examines bacterial responses to EO-induced damage, including adaptation, tolerance, resistance, cross‑adaptation, and collateral sensitivity, which are often overlooked in existing reviews of EOs’ biological efficacy. Additionally, it links EO-adaptation to food, including application methods, biofilms, and interactions with food components.
Authors
- Tarik Aanniz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3308-2607)
- Nadia Ziyate
- Waleed Al Abdulmonem (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2984-9262)
- Abdelhakim Bouyahya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9317-1631)
- Oumayma Aguerd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7011-7690)
- Zineb Soubai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5268-9845)
- Rim Rais
- Mohammed Alorini
- Learn-Han Lee
- Hiba Mahir
Institutions
- Monash University Malaysia (MY)
- Mohammed V University (MA)
- University of Nottingham Ningbo China (CN)
- Qassim University (SA)
- Université Ibn-Tofail (MA)
- Office National de l'Eau Potable (MA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Science of Food
- Published
- 2026-09-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-026-01119-5
- Primary Topic
- Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technique
- Qassim University