{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,15]],"date-time":"2026-03-15T04:17:03Z","timestamp":1773548223842,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,18]],"date-time":"2022-04-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1650240000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The current study aims to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of eight essential oils (EOs) against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strains, producing extended-spectrum \u03b2-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes and isolated from foods. Disc-diffusion assay showed that the inhibition diameters generated by EOs varied significantly among the tested EOs and strains. In fact, EOs extracted from Thymus capitaus, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Trachyspermum ammi and Mentha pulegium exerted an important antimicrobial effect against tested strains, with the diameters of inhibition zones varied between 20 and 27 mm. Moreover, minimal inhibition and bactericidal concentration (MIC and MBC) values demonstrated that T. capitatus EOs generate the most important inhibitory effect against E. coli strains, with MIC values ranging from 0.02 to 0.78%. Concerning the mode of action of T. capitatus EO, the obtained data showed that treatment with this EO at its MIC reduced the viability of E. coli strains, their tolerance to NaCl and promoted the loss of 260-nm-absorbing material. In addition, in the presence of T. capitatus EO, cells became disproportionately sensitive to subsequent autolysis. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of T. capitatus was evaluated against two E. coli strains, experimentally inoculated (105 CFU\/g) in minced turkey meat, in the presence of two different concentrations of EO (MIC and 2 \u00d7 MIC), and stored for 15 days. In both samples, EO exerted a bacteriostatic effect in the presence of concentrations equal to MIC. Interestingly, at 2 \u00d7 CMI concentration, the bactericidal activity was pronounced after 15 days of storage. Our results highlighted that the use of essential oils, specially of T. capitatus, to inhibit or prevent the growth of extended-spectrum \u03b2-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli in food, may be a promising alternative to chemicals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27082588","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]],"date-time":"2022-04-19T01:03:01Z","timestamp":1650330181000},"page":"2588","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Characterization of Primary Action Mode of Eight Essential Oils and Evaluation of Their Antibacterial Effect against Extended-Spectrum \u03b2-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Escherichia coli Inoculated in Turkey Meat"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0933-2066","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chedia","family":"Aouadhi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Epidemiology and Veterinary Microbiology, Group of Bacteriology and Biotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Tunisia (IPT), Universit\u00e9 de Tunis El Manar, 13 Place Pasteur, Belv\u00e9d\u00e8re, B.P. 74, Tunis 1002, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8229-6727","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahlem","family":"Jouini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Epidemiology and Veterinary Microbiology, Group of Bacteriology and Biotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Tunisia (IPT), Universit\u00e9 de Tunis El Manar, 13 Place Pasteur, Belv\u00e9d\u00e8re, B.P. 74, Tunis 1002, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dhekra","family":"Mechichi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Epidemiology and Veterinary Microbiology, Group of Bacteriology and Biotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Tunisia (IPT), Universit\u00e9 de Tunis El Manar, 13 Place Pasteur, Belv\u00e9d\u00e8re, B.P. 74, Tunis 1002, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0282-0961","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mouna","family":"Boulares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory: Technological Innovation and Food Safety LR22-AGR01 \u00c9cole Sup\u00e9rieure des Industries Alimentaires de Tunis (ESIAT), Universit\u00e9 de Carthage, 58 Avenue Alain Savary, Cit\u00e9 El Khadhra, Tunis 1003, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Safa","family":"Hamrouni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Epidemiology and Veterinary Microbiology, Group of Bacteriology and Biotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Tunisia (IPT), Universit\u00e9 de Tunis El Manar, 13 Place Pasteur, Belv\u00e9d\u00e8re, B.P. 74, Tunis 1002, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abderrazak","family":"Maaroufi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Epidemiology and Veterinary Microbiology, Group of Bacteriology and Biotechnology, Pasteur Institute of Tunisia (IPT), Universit\u00e9 de Tunis El Manar, 13 Place Pasteur, Belv\u00e9d\u00e8re, B.P. 74, Tunis 1002, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103461","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jevs.2021.103461","article-title":"Antimicrobial resistance and extended-spectrum \u03b2-Lactamase (ESBL) genes in E. coli isolated from equine fecal samples in Turkey","volume":"101","author":"Yigin","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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