Hydrosols of orange blossom (Citrus aurantium), and rose flower (Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia) support the growth of a heterogeneous spoilage microbiota

- Diverse bacteria contaminate orange blossom and rose hydrosols and cause spoilage.
- This microflora is adapted to low nutrient and low pH conditions in hydrosols.
- Carbohydrates found in hydrosols may contribute to microbial growth.
- Some strains are able to metabolize volatile hydrosol compounds.
- Observed essential oil concentrations do not prevent microbial growth and spoilage.

Hydrosols are hydrodistillation products of aromatic plants. They contain less than 1 g/L of dispersed essential oils giving organoleptic properties. Hydrosols are subjected to microbial proliferation. Reasons for spoilage have to be found in the nature of substrates supporting growth and of microbiological contaminants. The composition in essential oils and the microbiota of 22 hydrosol samples of Citrus aurantium L. ssp. amara L. (orange blossom), Rosa damascena Miller (rose D.), and Rosa centifolia L. (rose C.) flowers were analyzed to determine the factors responsible for decay. The median concentrations in essential oils were 677 mg/L for orange blossom hydrosols, 205 mg/L for rose D. hydrosols, and 116 mg/L for rose C. hydrosols. The dry matter content of these hydrosols varied between 4.0 mg/L and 702 mg/L, and the carbohydrate content varied between 0.21 mg/L and 0.38 mg/L. These non-volatile compounds were likely carried over during distillation by a priming and foaming effect, and could be used as nutrients by microorganisms. A microbial proliferation at ambient temperature and also at 5 °C has been observed in all studied hydrosols when stored in a non-sterile container. In contaminated hydrosols, maximal counts were about 7 log10 CFU/mL, while the French pharmacopeia recommends a maximal total bacterial count of 2 log10 CFU/mL. Neither yeast nor mold was detected. The isolated microbial population was composed of environmental Gram-negative bacteria, arranged in four major genera: Pseudomonas sp., Burkholderia cepacia complex, and presumably two new genera belonging to Acetobacteraceae and Rhodospirillaceae. Among those bacteria, Burkholderia vietnamiensis and Novosphingobium capsulatum were able to metabolize volatile compounds, such as geraniol to produce 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one or geranic acid, or phenylethyl acetate to produce 2-phenylethanol. EO concentrations in hydrosols or cold storage are not sufficient to insure microbiological stability. Additional hurdles such as chemical preservatives or aseptic packaging will be necessary to insure microbial stability.