antibacterial effects of cuminum cyminum essential oil and nigella sativa extract in the encapsulated form on the growth of listeria monocytogenes in feta cheese

listeria monocytogenes is one of the food-borne pathogens in milk and dairy products which is concerned a major health problem. natural additives like essential oils and herb extractions are used as a suitable alternative for synthetic preservatives to preserve and extend the shelf life of food products. in this study antimicrobial effect of encapsulated cuminum cyminum essential oil and nigella sativa extract with different concentration 15% and 6% respectively, on the growth of l. monocytogenes were evaluated in feta cheese at 4°c and 15°c temperatures during the 0, 24, 48 and 72 h of storage. compositional analysis by gc-ms indicated that the predominant components were benzaldehyde and phenylpropanol for cuminum cyminum essential oil, and dodecane and undecane; n-undecane; 1120-21-4 for nigella sativa extract. the results showed that in the control group, l. monocytogenes grew rapidly during storage at 4°c and 15°c. however, in treated group with cuminum cyminum encapsulated essential oil, 3 log reductions in the population of bacteria observed after 72 hours. also, using of encapsulated nigella sativa extract caused more reduction in the growth of bacteria compared to its non-encapsulated form (p<0.05). these results indicated a stronger antibacterial activity of both cuminum cyminum essential oil and nigella sativa extract in an encapsulated form to inhibit the growth of l. monocytogenes in cheese which can be used as antimicrobial and preservative for cheese.