ABSTRACT
There has been an increasing need for non-toxic preservatives in the food industry in recent times. The industry value chain: cultivation field, storage, processing to packaging, are faced with pests and microbes that cause wastage and loss. Most of the synthetic pesticides and antimicrobial agents used in the food industry have disadvantages of toxicity to humans and/or the environment. Moreover, pests and microbes becoming resistant to commonly used synthetic chemicals. However, some essential oils have been found to exhibit pesticidal and/or antimicrobial activities. As opposed to existing non-active agent based pesticides or preservatives, essential oils are mixtures of compounds which may be synergistic or antagonistic in action. Hence, it is difficult for microbes to develop resistance against their activities. In application of essential oils are human and environment benign, hence, they are attracting increasing attention as potential alternatives to synthetic pesticides and preservatives in the food industry. Therefore, in this chapter, the role of essential oils in food and agricultural sectors, stating their advances, limitations and future prospects were described.
