Thymus essential oils (Thymus vulagris and Thymus satureio dis) from center of Morocco: chemical composition and antimicrobial activity

The bacteria are often put in issue in the case of food poisoning and the extensive use of antibacterial chemicals in the medication led to the selection of resistant bacterial strains. Essential oils of medicinal and aromatic plants can be used as an alternative for the treatment of infectious diseases and for the protection of food against any tampering.This study was conducted to examine in Vitro antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris and Thymus satureioidis grown in the North-Central of the Morocco, these essential oils are obtained by steam distillation by Clevenger and are tested for pathogenic bacteria: Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, responsible for food-borne diseases in the region of Fes. The chemical composition of the essential oils made by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The essential oil of Thymus vulgaris is rich in γ-terpinene (22,25%) and thymol (41,39%). The most abundant chemical compounds in the essential oil of Thymus satureioidis are p-cymene (27,59%) and thymol (14,09%). Two essential oils showed important bactericidal activity on Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli