Investigation of antibacterial and antioxi̇dant activities of wild rue Peganum harmala L., nutmeg tree Myristica fragrans houtt. and clove Syzygium aromaticum L.'s plants extracts against bacteria isolated from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) and sea bream (sparus aurata l.) fish and their effects on fish shelf life.

World population growing has emphasised the importance of aquaculture as an alternative tool to meet the increasing nutritional and protein needs. Unfortunately, diseases are frequently experienced in parallel with the increasing production in fish farming due to high stocking density. An unappropriated treatment can cause large economic losses due to fish deaths and slowing growth. For this reason, it is important to determine effective and natural treatment methods against diseases in fish farming. Sea bream (Sparus aurata L. 1758) and sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L. 1758) are the most preferred fish in fish farming and trade in the Aegean Region. Sea bream is a benthic fish species belonging to the Sparidae family. Sea bass belongs to the Moronidae family. Both types of fish are preferred because of their taste and high nutritional value. Aquaculture has been determined as the fastest growing food production sector in the world by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Storage capacities are also increasing due to the increasing demand for sea bream, which covers 27% of the seafood we export, and sea bass, which meets approximately 37%. This draws attention to the use of synthetic antimicrobial agents to extend their shelf life. However, the use of synthetics can cause bacteria resistance as well as harming the environment and organisms. In addition, the residues of these agents can also be dangerous for human health. In order to extend their shelf life, the trend towards more natural and medicinal plants is increasing. In general, different plant extracts have been studied on rainbow trout, carp and sea bass in order to extend their shelf life and successful results have been obtained. However, there are not enough experimental studies besides the increase in importance to bream and sea bass fish. In this study, the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of extracts of 3 different plants (wild rue Peganum harmala L., Nutmeg tree Myristica fragrans Houtt. and Clove Syzygium aromaticum L.) against bacteria isolated from sea bream and sea bass and the effect of these plant extracts on the shelf life of fish will be determined. On the basis of the obtained results, the 3 plants extract gave antibacterial and antioxidant positive effects on the fillet shelf life. More detailed studies on antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of these plants against other organisms at different concentrations and their use in the food industry are recommended for future studies. Keywords: Sea Bass, Sea Bream, Wild Rue, Nutmeg Tree, Clove, Antibacteria Activities, Antioxidant Activities, Shelf Life.