There has been increased interest in the research on natural
products, including plant extracts, which might replace synthetic
pesticides or contribute toward the development of new pest
control agents. During the past 15 years, essential oils have been
shown to possess a broad spectrum of antifungal activity
(Thompson, 1989; Soliman and Badea, 2002). Screening experiments
with 13–52 essential oils and major active components
against 5–25 microorganisms have shown crude oil and isolated
compounds as potential candidates for inhibition of food-borne
pathogens and spoilage organisms (Conner and Beuchat, 1984;
Dorman and Deans, 2000). Most often essential oils are screened
for antimicrobial effect by direct addition and diffusion in media.
Recently, studies have shown that smaller compounds such as
monoterpenes are most efficient when used as headspace volatiles