Some plant essential oils were reported to have antimicrobial activity and have the potential to replace chemical preservatives in food industry. In this study, the antibacterial activity and possible mechanism of Perilla frutescens essential oil (PEO) were evaluated using Enterococcus faecalis R612-Z1 as the target strain. The minimum inhibition concentration of PEO against E. faecalis was 0.5 μL/mL. The PEO solutions at the concentrations higher than minimum inhibition concentration had varying degrees of bactericidal effects against E. faecalis. With the addition of PEO, the cell membrane integrity was destroyed, the cell membrane potential was decreased, and the intracellular adenosine triphosphate loss was increased. By testing the bacterial counts and total volatile basic nitrogen contents in chicken breast meat, PEO can significantly inhibit the growth of E. faecalis. The results showed that PEO can be used as an effective natural food preservative during food storage.

中文翻译：

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紫苏精油抑制粪肠球菌生长和细胞膜完整性。

据报道，一些植物精油具有抗菌活性，有可能在食品工业中替代化学防腐剂。本研究以粪肠球菌R612-Z1为靶菌株，对紫苏精油（PEO）的抗菌活性及可能作用机制进行了评价。PEO对粪肠球菌的最小抑制浓度为0.5 μL/mL。高于最低抑菌浓度的PEO溶液对粪肠球菌有不同程度的杀菌作用. 随着PEO的加入，细胞膜完整性被破坏，细胞膜电位降低，细胞内三磷酸腺苷损失增加。通过检测鸡胸肉中的细菌数量和总挥发性碱性氮含量，PEO可以显着抑制粪肠球菌的生长。结果表明，PEO可作为一种有效的食品储存过程中的天然食品防腐剂。