## 1 Introduction  
Pathogenetic bacteria have been reported as contaminating microorganisms on equipment surfaces commonly used in both the medical and food sectors. These surfaces are potential reservoirs for the spread of microbial pathogens such as _Listeria monocytogenes_, _Staphylococcus aureus_, and _Salmonella_ spp. [1, 2]. If the environmental conditions are suitable to growth, abiotic surface-adherent bacteria are able to form a complex structure called biofilm [3]. In the food sector, surface contaminations are involved in foodborne infections experienced after the consumption of food and drink contaminated with pathogens. In hospitals, contamination of medical equipment is involved in healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) [4]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.7 million hospitalized patients in the United States contract HCAIs each year while being treated for other health conditions, and more than 98,000 of these patients die as a result of HCAIs [5]. These infections are generally caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria [6]. The most common microorganisms involved are _Escherichia coli_ found in the intestines and _Staphylococcus aureus_ bacteria found on the skin and mucous membranes in the nose of healthy humans. _Pseudomonas aeruginosa_ bacteria thrive in soils and wet environments [7; 8]. On the other hand, there are food safety concerns that arise frequently in agrifood value chains. Foodborne illness can occur at any stage of food production and distribution. Thus, in food industries, effective cleaning and disinfection of equipment are required to reduce the risks of bacterial contamination such as those related to _Staphylococcus aureus_, _Listeria monocytogenes_, and _Salmonella_ spp. [9; 10; 11]. Therefore, the control of biofilms remains the most important task for many industries to reduce the microbiological risk associated with its persistence in these areas. To reduce the microbiological risk associated with the main bacterial pathogens, the use of plant extracts as biosourced antimicrobials could be a sustainable and eco-friendly strategy. Molecules derived from essential oils (EOs) and plant extracts that are known as antimicrobials could be the best option, as these antimicrobials are efficient and produced by available and renewable resources such as _Pinus pinaster_, _Pistacia lentiscus_, _Calicotome spinosa_, and _Thymelaan hirsute_, as well as food waste like citrus peels. This is one of the principles of green chemistry, which, within the developed approach, leads to an innovative and efficient route for the preparation of high-value-added chemicals with circular economic, environmental, and ethical goals [12; 13; 14]. The composition of essential oils from each plant species is unique, with one to three terpen constituting major components and many minor components [15]. However, their use as antimicrobials is fraught with difficulties due to factors such as their high volatility and solubility in water, as well as their cytotoxicity [16; 17; 18]. Several terpene-based ligands and their associated metal complexes have superior antibacterial activity compared to free ligands. Furthermore, some metal complexes have been reported to be water-soluble, as we demonstrated previously [19; 20; 21]. This property makes them more useful as antibacterial compounds than terpen. Bioinorganic and medicinal chemists have paid close attention to the antibacterial properties of metal ions and their complexes [22]. Metals such as Zn, Fe, Hg, As, Cu, Ag, and Ru have been used as antimicrobials in various forms for thousands of years [22; 23; 24; 25]. The use of metals for the treatment of many diseases was mentioned in the Ebers papyrus [26]. Silver has biocidal and bactericidal properties, copper reduces inflammation and is used to treat various _Escherichia coli_ and _Pseudomonas_ spp. infections, and iron is used to treat anemia. The use of metals as antibacterial agents declined after the discovery of antibiotics in the twentieth century.