A study was carried out to evaluate quantitatively the effect of carvacrol on Escherichia coli K12 and Listeria
innocua growth at different incubation temperatures (37, 30, 15 and 8 C), from a kinetic point of
view. Although the value of the minimum inhibitory concentration depended on microorganism and
temperature, L. innocua was always more carvacrol-resistant than E. coli K12. The lag time and the maximum
specific growth rate achieved at different carvacrol concentrations and temperatures were calculated
at non-inhibitory doses. The lower the temperature or the higher the carvacrol concentration, the
greater the lag time and the smaller the growth rate. These results indicate that carvacrol can inhibit
or slow E. coli K12 and L. innocua growth, especially at low temperatures, because synergism was
observed between the two factors. Consequently, carvacrol could be an effective hurdle when temperature
or other factors compromise the microbial safety of minimally processed ready-to-eat foods.