**Abstract**

With increased consumer knowledge of food safety and quality, there is a strong demand for preservative (synthetic)-free food and the use of natural products as preservatives. Natural antimicrobials derived from various sources are used to keep food safe from spoilage and pathogenic microbes. Plants are the primary source of antimicrobials and include a variety of essential oils that have antimicrobial properties. Many essential oils are found in herbs and spices, such as rosemary, sage, basil, oregano, thyme, cardamom, and clove. These antimicrobial compounds are also used in conjunction with edible coatings to prevent bacteria from growing on the surface of food and food products.

**Keywords:** biological assays, food, medicinal plants, nutrition, essential oils

### **1. Introduction**

Fresh foods, such as horticulture, seafood, and meat, have a short shelf life and are linked to foodborne disease outbreaks caused by pathogenic microbes. In recent years, much effort has been expended on search for natural antimicrobials that can inhibit fungal, bacterial, and viral growth in food. Simultaneously, the food industry has sought to replace/supplement traditional food preservation techniques, such as heat treatment, acidification, salting, drying, and chemical preservation with newer, less invasive methods (pulsed light, high-pressure, pulsed electric field, ultrasound, oscillating magnetic field, and UV treatments) [1, 2]. The reason for this is that some consumers chose minimally processed foods over processed meals, preferring those with less additives and/or containing natural ingredients [1].

Natural antimicrobials are defined as substances that are naturally occurring and directly derived from biological systems without alteration or modification in a laboratory setting. These can be sourced from a variety of organisms, including algae, fungi, bacteria, and plants. Plant extracts have the advantage of having been consumed by people for thousands of years. In addition to being utilized as antimicrobials, many plants are also used in traditional medicine, functional foods, dietary supplements, and the production of recombinant proteins. Their ability to prevent/

regulate the growth of bacteria, particularly pathogenic bacteria (food safety), and to manage natural spoiling processes (food preservation) gives them their function as antimicrobials [3]. The ability of plants to manufacture a number of chemical compounds with complicated structures and antibacterial activity through secondary metabolism has been linked to their potential antimicrobial qualities. These antimicrobial substances are created naturally by plants to strengthen their defense mechanisms in challenging environments [4, 5]. Plants produce phytochemicals to protect themselves from bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but they also prevent foods from going stale [6]. There has been a surge in interest in employing natural preservatives in food products. Natural preservatives boost human health by protecting against disease [1]. Approximately 1340 plants have been identified as possible sources of antioxidant and antibacterial components [7], while over 250,000 plant species contain a diverse range of bioactive components. Plant extracts are designated as "aromatic and flavoring compounds," which comprise "all natural products and corresponding synthetic products," and can be taken by any animal species with no restrictions on product dose. Due to their widespread public acceptance, these products stand to replace synthetic preservatives in future, and the quest for novel compounds is a vital area of research in the field of food additives. All of this has led to the use of natural preservative substances, which are either directly added to food products or ingested by the source species.

Herbs and spices are examples of natural chemicals that are employed as food preservatives because they contain components with strong antioxidant and antibacterial capabilities [8]. Plant extracts have been utilized for centuries to enhance the organoleptic qualities of food. In addition, Chipault [9] and Chipault, Mizuno [10] articulated plant extracts have preservation characteristics in various types of spices, and there is already a wealth of knowledge about the chemicals and mechanisms involved in lipid peroxidation inhibition. They are GRAS (generally recognized as safe), which means that consumers and regulatory authorities perceive them to be more appropriate for use in food than manufactured substances. Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are two examples of synthetic preservatives that have been employed in the food business for many years. However, there is a lot of evidence that these substances are potentially carcinogenic, so there is a lot of interest in alternative products that safeguard against oxidation but are more natural [11, 12].

Plant materials from the Labiatae family have been extensively researched for their preservation characteristics [13]. In addition to antibacterial and antioxidant action, natural extracts contain immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, and sedative properties. Because their individual activities are substantially lower than their combined activity, natural extracts frequently owe their biological activity to the synergism between their numerous components. The toxicity of extracts is thought to be lower when all of their components are present rather than when they are purified, a process known as buffering. As previously stated, food companies are increasingly interested in incorporating natural antioxidants and antimicrobials into food in response to consumer demand for safer and more natural foods and their rejection of synthetic antioxidants, which are being reassessed for the potential toxicity and carcinogenicity of the components formed during their degradation. Several studies have been conducted over the last decade to identify natural compounds capable of suppressing lipid auto-oxidation events in meat products and precooked meats after being added during processing procedures [14, 15]. *Origanum vulgaris, Rosmarinus officinalis,* and *Thymus vulgaris* have received special attention due to their high

*Herbs and Spices' Antimicrobial Properties and Possible Use in the Food Sector DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108143*

antioxidant activity [16]. However, it is important to remember that the efficiency of plant extracts is dependent on the type of substrate on which they operate [16] as well as the provided dose. Plant-derived antioxidants, on average, exhibit prooxidant activity at low doses and antioxidant activity above a critical concentration [16]. Plants' putative antibacterial effects have been linked to their ability to create various chemical compounds with complicated structures through secondary metabolism. These antibacterial components are naturally created to help a plant's defense system during harsh situations [4, 5]. This study provides an overview of the current state of knowledge and recent advances in the use of plant-derived compounds generated from herbs and spices as antimicrobials in foods, as well as their potential and problems.
