LAUSR

Abstract Foodborne diseases and antibiotic resistant bacteria have become a serious worldwide public health problem. In this context, this study was carried out to describe the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oils from three Brazilian Ocimum species, since essential oils are considered safe. The essential oils were analyzed by GC–MS and the antimicrobial activities were determined by MIC assays against some pathogens. The essential oils from two samples exhibited effective antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus 100–200 μgnmL−1. The concentration of the major compound, linalool (from 24.7% to 60.2%), was not the main feature for the antimicrobial activity. The development of a multivariate statistical method based on O2PLS-DA was carried out for the identification of the most effective combination of constituents to describe the efficiency of O. basilicum essential oils as antimicrobial agents against foodborne pathogens.