| Lippia alba is a shrub of the Verbenaceae family, popularly known as lemon balm. It's essential oil is said to have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity whose effectiveness varies according to its composition, which is influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. The present study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of oil taken from the leaves of L. alba collected at different times of the year, against microorganisms of importance in food. The oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was tested against standard cultures of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella choleraesuis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua using agar diffusion techniques. The different sampling times had a big influence on the... |
