%0 Journal Article %T Sensitivity of spoiling and pathogen food-related bacteria to Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae) essential oil %A Souza %A Evandro Leite de %A Stamford %A Tania L¨˛cia Montenegro %A Lima %A Edeltrudes de Oliveira %J Brazilian Journal of Microbiology %D 2006 %I Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia %R 10.1590/S1517-83822006000400023 %X origanum vulgare l. (oregano), lamiaceae, has been known as plant specie with prominent biological properties for a long time. this study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of origanum vulgare essential oil on various gram-positive and gram-negative spoiling and/or pathogen food-related bacteria, as well as to observe its antimicrobial effectiveness in a food conservation micromodel. the results showed a strong antibacterial activity of the assayed essential oil noted by large growth inhibition zones (30-37 mm). mic values were between 20-40 ¦Ěl/ml for the most bacteria strains. essential oil was able to cause significant (p<0.05) inhibitory effect on the bacteria viability providing a bacteriostatic effect after 24hours of exposure. in addition, the mic provided a significant (p<0.05) decrease of the autochthonous bacterial flora in ground meat samples stored under refrigeration. these results support the possibility of using origanum vulgare essential oil as alternative antimicrobial compound in food conservation systems. %K origanum vulgare l. %K essential oil %K antimicrobial activity %K bacteria. %U http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1517-83822006000400023&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en