Hassan Habibi

In response to the propagation of bacteria resistant to many antibiotics, the discovery of new and more efficient antibacterial agents is primordial. The present study was designed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of three extracts of medical plants, Cichorium intybus, Dorema aucheri and Prangos ferulacea against some food born pathogens. These extracts were first prepared with methanol. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was then assessed using the agar-well diffusion method and microtiter broth dilution method against nine bacterial strains i.e. Staphaureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Salmonella enteritidis, Enterococcus aeroguns and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The studied extracts displayed various degrees of antibacterial activities. The extracts of Dorema aucheri showed the best spectra of activity. In conclusion, we can use these extracts as food additives and antibacterial preservatives after improvement at food safety studies.