Plant antimicrobials microbial control

There has been an explosion of recent interest in antimicrobial peptides, which have been shown to be ubiquitous in nature as evidenced in numerous review articles [155-159]. Frequently, these peptides have been located where microbial control is important, such as in mammalian intestines or trachea, in seminal fluid, on amphibian skin, as plant defense compounds or on insect larvae. Hence, such peptide antibiotics can be seen as a response to ecological conditions, specifically the propensity of microorganisms to thrive wherever they can gain access to a macroorganism. 

These data show that bromine works better than chlorine in high pH waters such as the ocean. Similarly, most industrial water is quite alkaline and therefore, a practical form of bromine is also preferred. The technical attributes of bromine antimicrobials are of value in water treatment and are apparently also worth the cost to many aquatic plants. Further observations of natural microbial fouling control systems reveal that animals also preferentially manufacture, in situ, certain bromine-based antimicrobials. 

Spices and herbs have been used as food additives since ancient times, both as flavoring agents and as natural food preservatives. Essential oils, odorous and volatile products derived from plants, have found a considerable range of applications. They are used mainly as flavors and fragrances in food and perfumery industries. However, due to their antimicrobial activity essentials oils are also important for food and cosmetic preservation and for the control of human, animal and plant diseases that are of microbial origin. 

---