Antimicrobial Properties of Siberian Wild Plant Extracts: Pulmonaria officinalis, Heracleum sibiricum, and Syringa vulgaris

Pathogenic microorganisms cause food spoilage. Food science knows a number of methods to prevent it without compromising the original food quality. Plant extracts are effective and safe components that contain organic acids and polyphenols capable of inhibiting the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. This in-vitro research featured the antimicrobial and metabolomic profiles of plant extracts from the Kemerovo Region, Western Siberia, Russia, as well as their antiseptic and antimicrobial prospects. The aqueous-alcohol extracts of Heracleum sibiricum L., Pulmonaria officinalis L., and Syringa vulgaris L. in various concentrations (40, 55, 60, 70%) were tested for antimicrobial activity in vitro using the disc diffusion method. The method of high-performance liquid chromatography with a UV detector made it possible to identify the metabolomic composition. The concentration was calculated mathematically, by calibration equations (3–5% mean error). The extracts of H. sibiricum, P. officinalis, and S. vulgaris demonstrated different antimicrobial activities. The broadest range belonged to the 40 and 60% aqueous-alcoholic extracts of H. sibiricum, which were able to inhibit Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas putida, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These extracts also contained coumarin compounds that destroyed cell membranes and prevented biofilm formation. P. officinalis inhibited Bacillus cereus and P. aeruginosa. The test samples of S. vulgaris contained anthocyanins and organic acids that served as natural preservatives while inhibiting Candida albicans and E. coli. Siberian H. sibiricum, P. officinalis, and S. vulgaris proved to contain a wide range of bioactive compounds that could be used to develop new natural antiseptic and antimicrobial drugs. Despite the confirmed antimicrobial activity, the extracts of these plants require further research to be used in the food industry. So far, their safety status, stability, effect on food sensory profile, and interaction with other ingredients remain unknown.