Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition
This study evaluates the antimicrobial potential of thyme essential oil (EO) against fungal growth in high-risk conditions. It uses an integrative modeling approach, including logistic regression, survival analysis, and kinetic modeling. The goal is to understand the conditions that promote fungal g...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1535812/full |
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| author | Ricardo H. Hernández-Figueroa Emma Mani-López Aurelio López-Malo Enrique Palou Teresa Soledad Cid-Pérez Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón Raúl Avila-Sosa |
| author_facet | Ricardo H. Hernández-Figueroa Emma Mani-López Aurelio López-Malo Enrique Palou Teresa Soledad Cid-Pérez Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón Raúl Avila-Sosa |
| author_sort | Ricardo H. Hernández-Figueroa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study evaluates the antimicrobial potential of thyme essential oil (EO) against fungal growth in high-risk conditions. It uses an integrative modeling approach, including logistic regression, survival analysis, and kinetic modeling. The goal is to understand the conditions that promote fungal growth and the growth rate over time, including pH, water activity (aw), and thyme EO concentration in solid-model systems. The antimicrobial activity was tested against Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium citrinum, varying pH levels (3, 4, and 5), aw (0.90, 0.95, and 0.99), and EO concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, and 500 ppm) in potato-dextrose agar. The mold growth responses under the different tested conditions were evaluated using complementary modeling techniques, binary logistic regression, regression with life data, and kinetic model using the Gompertz equation. Results showed that reducing aw or pH alone was insufficient to inhibit mold growth without thyme EO. Each tested model offers unique insights into mold growth. The binary logistic model assesses growth versus no-growth conditions and identifies threshold values. Time-to-growth regression analysis with failure data helps understand the delay in mold growth and evaluate the combined preservation factors’ efficacy. When combining stress factors, the kinetic model provides detailed insights into growth rates, maximum growth, and lag phases. Analyzing the data with the three models allows a comprehensive understanding of how the studied factors influence mold growth, which is crucial for food safety and shelf-life evaluation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-22b08fcdb7f145a389ec22df24b373c5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-22b08fcdb7f145a389ec22df24b373c52025-08-20T02:57:36ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2025-05-01910.3389/fsufs.2025.15358121535812Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibitionRicardo H. Hernández-Figueroa0Emma Mani-López1Aurelio López-Malo2Enrique Palou3Teresa Soledad Cid-Pérez4Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón5Raúl Avila-Sosa6Chemical, Food and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Puebla, MexicoChemical, Food and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Puebla, MexicoChemical, Food and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Puebla, MexicoChemical, Food and Environmental Engineering Department, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Puebla, MexicoDepartamento de Bioquímica-Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua, MexicoDepartamento de Bioquímica-Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, MexicoThis study evaluates the antimicrobial potential of thyme essential oil (EO) against fungal growth in high-risk conditions. It uses an integrative modeling approach, including logistic regression, survival analysis, and kinetic modeling. The goal is to understand the conditions that promote fungal growth and the growth rate over time, including pH, water activity (aw), and thyme EO concentration in solid-model systems. The antimicrobial activity was tested against Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium citrinum, varying pH levels (3, 4, and 5), aw (0.90, 0.95, and 0.99), and EO concentrations (0, 25, 50, 100, and 500 ppm) in potato-dextrose agar. The mold growth responses under the different tested conditions were evaluated using complementary modeling techniques, binary logistic regression, regression with life data, and kinetic model using the Gompertz equation. Results showed that reducing aw or pH alone was insufficient to inhibit mold growth without thyme EO. Each tested model offers unique insights into mold growth. The binary logistic model assesses growth versus no-growth conditions and identifies threshold values. Time-to-growth regression analysis with failure data helps understand the delay in mold growth and evaluate the combined preservation factors’ efficacy. When combining stress factors, the kinetic model provides detailed insights into growth rates, maximum growth, and lag phases. Analyzing the data with the three models allows a comprehensive understanding of how the studied factors influence mold growth, which is crucial for food safety and shelf-life evaluation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1535812/fullthyme essential oilfungal growth inhibitionAspergillus flavusPenicillium citrinumpredictive modeling |
| spellingShingle | Ricardo H. Hernández-Figueroa Emma Mani-López Aurelio López-Malo Enrique Palou Teresa Soledad Cid-Pérez Guadalupe Virginia Nevárez-Moorillón Raúl Avila-Sosa Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems thyme essential oil fungal growth inhibition Aspergillus flavus Penicillium citrinum predictive modeling |
| title | Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition |
| title_full | Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition |
| title_fullStr | Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition |
| title_short | Antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil: a multi-model approach to growth inhibition |
| title_sort | antifungal efficacy of thyme essential oil a multi model approach to growth inhibition |
| topic | thyme essential oil fungal growth inhibition Aspergillus flavus Penicillium citrinum predictive modeling |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1535812/full |
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