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Cited by 7,929Essential Oils and Antimicrobial ActivityCarcinogens and Genotoxicity AssessmentEdible Oils Quality and Analysis

Biological effects of essential oils—A review

Bakkali, F., Averbeck, S., Averbeck, D., Idaomar, M.·2008·Food and Chemical Toxicology
DOI 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106
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Abstract

Since the middle ages, essential oils have been widely used for bactericidal, virucidal, fungicidal, antiparasitical, insecticidal, medicinal and cosmetic applications, especially nowadays in pharmaceutical, sanitary, cosmetic, agricultural and food industries. Because of the mode of extraction, mostly by distillation from aromatic plants, they contain a variety of volatile molecules such as terpenes and terpenoids, phenol-derived aromatic components and aliphatic components. In vitro physicochemical assays characterise most of them as antioxidants. However, recent work shows that in eukaryotic cells, essential oils can act as prooxidants affecting inner cell membranes and organelles such as mitochondria. Depending on type and concentration, they exhibit cytotoxic effects on living cells but are usually non-genotoxic. In some cases, changes in intracellular redox potential and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by essential oils can be associated with their capacity to exert antigenotoxic effects. These findings suggest that, at least in part, the encountered beneficial effects of essential oils are due to prooxidant effects on the cellular level.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106

Cites

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  • Less than 10% of clove essential oil corresponds to minor or trace components such as diethyl phthalate, caryophyllene oxide, cadinene, α-copaene, 4-(2-propenyl)-phenol, chavicol, and α-cubebene.

    “Less than 10% correspond to minor or trace components such as diethyl phthalate, caryophyllene oxide, cadinene, α-copaene, 4-(2-propenyl)-phenol, chavicol, and α-cubebene, among others, as shown in Table 1, which shows the general composition reported by different authors [2,3,4].”

    From Clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): Extraction, chemical composition, food applications, and essential bioactivity for human health (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

    The retrieved copy contains passages about sage and bread production, plus a References entry naming Bakkali et al. (2008), but no passage about clove-oil composition. Searches for the listed trace compounds and the less-than-10% figure found no relevant passage, so this copy cannot verify the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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  • The composition and extracted yield of essential oils depend on species, soil composition, plant organ, age, cycle stage, selected extraction method, and conditions of extraction.

    “Various authors have reported that the composition and extracted yield of EOs depends on the species, soil composition, plant organ (aerial parts, inflorescence, or roots), age, cycle stage, selected extraction method, and conditions of extraction [2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17].”

    From Clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): Extraction, chemical composition, food applications, and essential bioactivity for human health (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

    The indexed passages appear to be from a Ukrainian document about sage and bread, rather than the text of Bakkali et al.; its References section lists Bakkali et al. but does not reproduce their findings. Searches for the claimed factors affecting essential-oil composition and extraction yield returned no passage that addresses them, so this copy cannot verify the attribution. (LLM, conf=0.75)

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  • The remaining 10-40% of clove essential oil consists of eugenyl acetate, β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene.

    “The remaining 10–40% consists of eugenyl acetate, β-caryophyllene, and α-humulene.”

    From Clove essential oil (Syzygium aromaticum L. Myrtaceae): Extraction, chemical composition, food applications, and essential bioactivity for human health (2021) · cites this paper as [2]

    The passages labeled “Лікувальні властивості шавлії” (medicinal properties of sage; page unavailable) discuss sage oil, not clove oil. Searches for the three named compounds and the 10–40% range returned no passage addressing clove-oil composition. The indexed passages appear to concern a different document, so this copy cannot verify the attribution. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 13

  1. [2]2. ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ РОЗВИТКУ ГАЛУЗІ В УКРАЇНІ [Електронний ресурс]. -Режим доступу : http://molodyvcheny.in.ua/files/journal/2016/5/34.pdf
  2. [3]3. Gherghina E., Israel-Roming F., Balan D., Luta G., Simion V., Zachia M. (2015). Assessment of some nutrients in bakery products. Scientific Bulletin.
  3. [25]25. A Comprehensive Review on Bio-Preservation of Bread: An Approach to Adopt Wholesome Strategies https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8834264/
  4. [27]27. Axel C., Zannini E., Arendt E.K. Nutrition, Mold spoilage of bread and its biopreservation: A review of current strategies for bread shelf life extension. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2017;57:3528-3542.
  5. [28]28. Luz C., D'Opazo V., Mañes J., Meca G. Preservation, Antifungal activity and shelf life extension of loaf bread produced with sourdough fermented by Lactobacillus strains. J. Food Processing Preserv. 2019;43:e14126.
  6. [30]30. Rizzello C.G., Lavecchia A., Gramaglia V., Gobbetti M.J.A. Long- term fungal inhibition by Pisum sativum flour hydrolysate during storage of wheat flour bread. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2015;81:4195-4206.
  7. [37]37. Duranti, M.; Nutraceutical properties of lupin seed proteins A great potential still waiting for full exploitation // Agro Food Industry Hi-Tech. 22, 1 (2011), P. 20-23.
  8. [38]38. Zhu, F., & Li, J. (2019). Physicochemical properties of steamed bread fortified with ground linseed (Linum usitatissimum). International Journal of Food Science & Technology, 54(5), 1670-1676.
  9. [39]39. Roozegar, M. H., Shahedi, M., Keramet, J., Hamdami, N., & Roshanak, S. (2015). Effect of coated and uncoated ground flaxseed addition on rheological, physical and sensory properties of Taftoon bread. Journal of food science and technology, 52(8), 5102-5110.
  10. [40]40. Conforti, F. D., & Davis, S. F. (2006). The effect of soya flour and flaxseed as a partial replacement for bread flour in yeast bread. International journal of food science & technology, 41, 95-101
  11. [41]41. Feizollahi, E., Hadian, Z., & Honarvar, Z. (2018). Food fortification with omega-3 fatty acids; microencapsulation as an addition method. Current Nutrition & Food Science, 14(2), 90-103.
  12. [48]48. Jayasinghe J., Ranasinghe M., Tharshini G. Botanicals as biopreservatives in foodsa mini review. J. Agric. Eng. Food Technol. 2016;3:4-7.
  13. [49]49. Bakkali F., Averbeck S., Averbeck D., Idaomar M. Biological effects of essential oils-A review. Food Chem. Toxicol. 2008;46:446-475. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106.

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Authors
Bakkali, F., Averbeck, S., Averbeck, D., & Idaomar, M.
Affiliations
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Abdelmalek Essaâdi University (MA)
Corresponding author
  • Averbeck, S.
  • Averbeck, D.
ORCID
Venue
Food and Chemical Toxicology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2008-02
Volume
46
Issue
2
Pages
446-475
ISSN
0278-6915 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106
OpenAlex
W2122910156
Cited by
7,929
References
340
Citations by year
2026: 473 · 2025: 468 · 2024: 486 · 2023: 608 · 2022: 661 · 2021: 611 · 2020: 641 · 2019: 507 · 2018: 500 · 2017: 486 · 2016: 496 · 2015: 380 · 2014: 456 · 2013: 356 · 2012: 309
FWCI
9.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Food and Chemical Toxicology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Edible Oils Quality and Analysis
Keywords
essential oils, biological effects, pro-oxidant activity, antioxidant activity, cytotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, redox potential, antigenotoxicity, terpenes, terpenoids, aromatic plants, antimicrobial activity, insecticidal activity, cosmetic applications, food industry applications
MeSH terms
Animals, Humans, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Molecular Biology, Mutagenicity Tests, Oils, Volatile, Anticarcinogenic Agents

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