Phytochemical investigation, evaluation of the biological activities and preservative effect of the essential oil of Juniperus communis L. dried berries on the vacuum-packed carrot after the application of Salmonella enterica

The increasing awareness of food stability and its impact on human health in contemporary lifestyles is the result of new industrial objectives and scientific research. Salmonella enterica and other planktonic cells have the ability to form biofilms and go into a sessile state, making the bacteria more resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics. The chemical profile of Juniperus communis essential oil (JCEO) extracted form dried fruits was evaluated. The identification of α-pinene (36.4 %), (16.7%), o-cymene (14.1 %), sabinene (6.6 %), and β-myrcene (5.1 %) as common constituents of JCEO through GC–MS analysis led to further investigation of the antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of the matrix. MIC, MIBC with crystal violet assays and MALDI-TOF MS analysis were used to assess the ability of JCEO to counteract S. enterica biofilm. JCEO exhibited potent antibiofilm activity as evidenced by MIBC crystal violet test results. The data obtained by MALDI-TOF MS analysis showed that JCEO altered the protein profiles of bacteria on glass and stainless-steel surfaces. Furthermore, this research revealed that JCEO has a beneficial antibacterial effect on S. enterica. In the vacuum-packed sous vide carrot samples, the anti-Salmonella activity of JCEO was slightly higher than that of the control samples. These findings highlight the benefits of JCEO’s antibacterial and antibiofilm properties and point to its use in food preservation