Application of Mint Oil as an Antimicrobial Agent in the Development of Liquid Surface Disinfectant for Food Contact Surfaces

Abstract

The antibacterial activity of mint essential oil as a natural ingredient offers a potential
replacement for chemical disinfectant for food contact surfaces in food industries. The purpose
of this research was to develop a mint oil-based disinfectant and test for its efficacy. Prior to the
main research, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of essential oil of two species of mint,
peppermint (Mentha piperita) and cornmint (Mentha arvensis), against Staphylococcus aureus
and Escherichia coli were assessed. The type of mint oil that has a higher activity against both
types of bacteria mentioned previously was used in the disinfectant formula. The disinfectant
was made of 1.25% peppermint oil, Tween 80 as a stabilizer, and water. Three formulas of
disinfectant were made by varying the concentration of Tween 80, which were 0.5%, 5%, and
10%, to analyze the stability of the emulsion formed. The result of the disinfectant efficacy
testing against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli shows that there were no significant
differences between the number of bacteria before and after contact with the disinfectant for
both types of bacteria. Furthermore, the increase of Tween 80 concentrations decreases the
reduction of the number of bacteria after contact with disinfectant. This suggests that Tween 80
reduces the antimicrobial activity of peppermint oil.