Essential oil of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) antibacterial activity on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in culture media and Iranian white cheese

Background and objectives: in this study, the antibacterial effect of essential oil of tarragon (artemisia dracunculus) on staphylococcus aureus and escherichia coli was evaluated in culture media and iranian white cheese.materials and methods: the tarragon essential oil (eo) obtained by the steam distillation method and its antibacterial activity was evaluated in 96-well microtiter plates containing brain heart infusion broth. the enumeration of s. aureus and e. coli in cheese samples were carried out on the following media: baired parker agmacconkey sorbitol agar for e. coli, incubated at 37°c for 24 h. iranian white cheese was produced from fresh and whole pasteurized cow milk (2.5%). bacteria (103 cfu/ml) were inoculated to different batches. cheese was treated with different concentrations of eo (15 and 1500 μg/ml) and separated into four parts in an equal manner. the sensory evaluation was done by a panel of four judges.results: according to the results obtained, minimum inhibitory concentrations (mic) for e. coli and s. aureus were 2500 and 1250 μg/ml, respectively. also, minimum bactericidal concentration (mbc) for the mentioned microorganisms were 5000 and 2500 μg/ml, respectively. all the eo concentrations for each bacteria result in reducing bacterial count of cheese samples compared to control (p < 0.05). also, with increasing concentration of eo in cheese samples, the bacterial count was reduced further (p < 0.05).conclusion: based on our findings, tarragon essential oil has antibacterial effect on two important pathogen bacteria (s. aureus and e. coli) and can be applied as a preservative in foods such as cheese