Plant extract and essential oil disinfection technology for broad-spectrum pathogen and biofilm control

Overview

This research presents a portfolio of plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) derived from Greek endemic plants that demonstrate strong antimicrobial activity against a broad range of common pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Pseudomonas species. Importantly, the technology also targets biofilm-embedded microorganisms, which are notoriously difficult to eliminate with conventional chemical sanitizers. In comparative testing, the plant-based formulations achieved log reductions of 0.8 to 3 log CFU/cm² against pre-established sessile communities, outperforming sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), which never exceeded 1.7 log CFU/cm². This positions the extracts and EOs as promising natural alternatives or complements to traditional biocides in disinfection applications across food safety, healthcare, and industrial settings.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity demonstrated against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pathogens
• Biofilm penetration and eradication capability, addressing microorganisms embedded in sessile communities that are resistant to many conventional treatments
• Multiple extraction formats including essential oils and ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts, with EOs generally showing the highest efficacy
• Quantified performance metrics including minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), and minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) determined via broth microdilution on 96-well microplates following CLSI guidelines
• Superior biofilm reduction compared to sodium hypochlorite, the industry-standard chemical sanitizer
• Structural diversity of bioactive molecules offering different modes of action from classical biocides, potentially reducing the risk of resistance development

Technology readiness level

The technology is currently at TRL 4–5 (technology validation in laboratory and relevant environments). Initial validation has been completed against a panel of common bacterial pathogens in both planktonic and biofilm states, with comparative benchmarking against sodium hypochlorite. Future validation will extend testing to additional clinically and industrially relevant microorganisms, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia cepacia, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter gergoviae, Serratia marcescens, Acetobacter aceti, Halomonas, and Aspergillus brasiliensis mold, with comparisons to benzisothiazolinone. Further evaluation of biofilm attachment reduction and removal activity is planned. The research team at Democritus University of Thrace is positioned to pursue collaborative development toward scaled formulation, regulatory pathways, and application-specific optimization.