Review

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives

Volume: 29 Number: 4 July 5, 2025
  • Mahyar Dadbin
  • Mohammad Soltanpour
  • Laleh Khodaie *
  • Mina Islambulchilar
EN

Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives

Abstract

Owing to the toxicity of chemical food preservatives, essential oils have gained significant attention in the food industry. Because they can be toxic at certain concentrations, their toxicity must be carefully considered. This study is based on a review of 312 references to ensure accuracy. The databases WOS, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar are utilized to gather relevant information. Various combinations of the following keywords are employed: essential oil, food preservative, antimicrobial, toxicity, and MIC. The inclusion and exclusion criteria and quality assessment of the included studies led to the formation of a search strategy flowchart. Data were tabulated showing the names of the plants containing volatile oil, the major ingredients of essential oils, their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-aflatoxin effects, oral toxicity, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of volatile oils against pathogens. The acute, sub-acute, and chronic toxicities of volatile oils are also discussed and investigated. In addition, the toxicity of the essential oils and their MIC were compared. Additionally, the MIC of the effective antibiotics against pathogenic microorganisms were compared with those of the volatile oils. Several figures have been prepared that show the relative frequencies of the data obtained from the tables. These results suggest that essential oils have great potential for use in the food industry. However, only a few studies have been conducted to determine their toxicity. Thus, further investigation is required.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutical Toxicology, Toxicology

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

July 5, 2025

Submission Date

March 10, 2025

Acceptance Date

April 18, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 29 Number: 4

APA
Dadbin, M., Soltanpour, M., Khodaie, L., & Islambulchilar, M. (2025). Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives. Journal of Research in Pharmacy, 29(4), 1379-1418. https://doi.org/10.12991/jrespharm.1653671
AMA
1.Dadbin M, Soltanpour M, Khodaie L, Islambulchilar M. Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives. J. Res. Pharm. 2025;29(4):1379-1418. doi:10.12991/jrespharm.1653671
Chicago
Dadbin, Mahyar, Mohammad Soltanpour, Laleh Khodaie, and Mina Islambulchilar. 2025. “Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Toxicity of Essential Oils As Food Preservatives”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 29 (4): 1379-1418. https://doi.org/10.12991/jrespharm.1653671.
EndNote
Dadbin M, Soltanpour M, Khodaie L, Islambulchilar M (July 1, 2025) Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 29 4 1379–1418.
IEEE
[1]M. Dadbin, M. Soltanpour, L. Khodaie, and M. Islambulchilar, “Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives”, J. Res. Pharm., vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 1379–1418, July 2025, doi: 10.12991/jrespharm.1653671.
ISNAD
Dadbin, Mahyar - Soltanpour, Mohammad - Khodaie, Laleh - Islambulchilar, Mina. “Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Toxicity of Essential Oils As Food Preservatives”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy 29/4 (July 1, 2025): 1379-1418. https://doi.org/10.12991/jrespharm.1653671.
JAMA
1.Dadbin M, Soltanpour M, Khodaie L, Islambulchilar M. Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives. J. Res. Pharm. 2025;29:1379–1418.
MLA
Dadbin, Mahyar, et al. “Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Toxicity of Essential Oils As Food Preservatives”. Journal of Research in Pharmacy, vol. 29, no. 4, July 2025, pp. 1379-18, doi:10.12991/jrespharm.1653671.
Vancouver
1.Mahyar Dadbin, Mohammad Soltanpour, Laleh Khodaie, Mina Islambulchilar. Chemical composition, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and toxicity of essential oils as food preservatives. J. Res. Pharm. 2025 Jul. 1;29(4):1379-418. doi:10.12991/jrespharm.1653671