Abstract: In order to seek green and natural preservatives for fruits, the common spoilage microorganisms and their characteristics were analyzed. Seven essential oils of Origanum vulgare L, Cinnamomum cassia Presl, Thymus mongolicus Ronn, Syzygium aromaticum（L.） Merr. Et Perry, orange peel, mustard and Litsea cubeba（Lour.） Pers.were analyzed for their inhibitory effects on common fruit spoilage bacteria. Thymol, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde,citral, and eugenol 5 monomeric components were found in many plant essential oils, and some of those components were rich in the above oils such as orange peel, which may be the material basis for the significant antibacterial and bactericidal effects of the plant essential oils. The analysis concluded that the plant essential oil and its monomeric components on the common fruit spoilage bacteria inhibition mechanism mainly included the following five ways: damaging the cell wall, cytoplasmic membrane, enhancing membrane’s permeability that results in cytoplasm, nucleic acid and protein leakage and affects the exchange of substances, etc; reducing or inhibiting the reproduction and germination of mold spores, which causes the mycelium to be twisted and broken, lysing and dying;the mitochondrial membrane potential undergoes hyperpolarization, whereas the activity of key enzymes of the TCA cycle is inhibited, and the redox reaction system is disrupted; the synthesis of ATP and the activity of respiratory enzyme systems are inhibited, and energy metabolism becomes abnormal; the normal synthesis of DNA and RNA is interfered or the degradation of RNA is accelerated.