Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria

Dilek Kahraman Yılmaz

doi:10.3153/AR26017

EN

Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria

Abstract

The rising rates of antimicrobial resistance, as well as the need for sustainable preservation strategies, have renewed interest in plant-derived antimicrobial agents. In this study, the chemical composition and antibacterial properties of Thymus capitatus essential oil (Tc EO) were evaluated. Furthermore, the antibacterial activities of carvacrol, the main component of the essential oil, and thymol, a major phenolic compound commonly found in Thymus species, were investigated against a total of 32 bacterial strains. Gram-negative bacteria such as Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., Pseudomonas spp., and members of Enterobacteriaceae, as well as Gram-positive bacteria, including Bacillus spp. and lactic acid bacteria (LAB), were evaluated, along with reference (ATCC) strains obtained from aquatic and food-related sources. The GC-MS analysis showed that Tc EO was dominated by a carvacrol-rich chemotype (62.35%), along with considerable amounts of p-cymene and γ-terpinene. All of these tested compounds showed considerable antibacterial activity; their inhibition zone sizes were predominantly above 20 mm. Gram-positive bacteria showed high susceptibility to Tc EO and its phenolic derivatives. In contrast, slightly lower inhibition zones were found in enteric bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Citrobacter freundii. However, fish-associated bacteria belonging to the species Aeromonas, Vibrio, and Flavobacterium, such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Edwardsiella tarda, Vibrio anguillarum, and Flavobacterium spartansii, showed high sensitivity to Tc EO and its phenolic derivatives. Of particular interest is that strain-specific differences between environmental isolates and reference strains, like Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, were found. These results indicate that Tc EO and its phenolic components may be considered a promising candidate for further investigation in food preservation and aquaculture applications.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that this study does not involve experiments with human or animal subjects, and therefore, ethics committee approval is not required.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Food Microbiology

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Dilek Kahraman Yılmaz ^*
0000-0002-9626-5446
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

June 27, 2026

Publication Date

July 1, 2026

Submission Date

March 28, 2026

Acceptance Date

May 1, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 3

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3153/AR26017

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA28WW33ND

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Kahraman Yılmaz, D. (2026). Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria. Aquatic Research, 9(3), 202-210. https://doi.org/10.3153/AR26017

AMA

1.Kahraman Yılmaz D. Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria. Aquat Res. 2026;9(3):202-210. doi:10.3153/AR26017

Chicago

Kahraman Yılmaz, Dilek. 2026. “Carvacrol-Rich Thymus Capitatus Essential Oil As a Potential Antimicrobial Agent Against Aquatic and Foodborne Bacteria”. Aquatic Research 9 (3): 202-10. https://doi.org/10.3153/AR26017.

EndNote

Kahraman Yılmaz D (July 1, 2026) Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria. Aquatic Research 9 3 202–210.

IEEE

[1]D. Kahraman Yılmaz, “Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria”, Aquat Res, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 202–210, July 2026, doi: 10.3153/AR26017.

ISNAD

Kahraman Yılmaz, Dilek. “Carvacrol-Rich Thymus Capitatus Essential Oil As a Potential Antimicrobial Agent Against Aquatic and Foodborne Bacteria”. Aquatic Research 9/3 (July 1, 2026): 202-210. https://doi.org/10.3153/AR26017.

JAMA

1.Kahraman Yılmaz D. Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria. Aquat Res. 2026;9:202–210.

MLA

Kahraman Yılmaz, Dilek. “Carvacrol-Rich Thymus Capitatus Essential Oil As a Potential Antimicrobial Agent Against Aquatic and Foodborne Bacteria”. Aquatic Research, vol. 9, no. 3, July 2026, pp. 202-10, doi:10.3153/AR26017.

Vancouver

1.Dilek Kahraman Yılmaz. Carvacrol-rich Thymus capitatus essential oil as a potential antimicrobial agent against aquatic and foodborne bacteria. Aquat Res. 2026 Jul. 1;9(3):202-10. doi:10.3153/AR26017