Potential of essential oils for protection of grains contaminated by aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus

Aspergillus species are known to cause damage to food crops and are associated with opportunistic infections in humans. In the United States, significant losses have been reported in peanut production due to contamination caused by the Aspergillus species. This study evaluated the antifungal effect and anti-aflatoxin activity of selected plant-based essential oils (EOs) against Aspergillus flavus in contaminated peanuts, Tifguard, runner type variety. All fifteen essential oils, tested by the poisoned food technique, inhibited the growth of A. flavus at concentrations ranging between 125 and 4000 ppm. The most effective oils with total clearance of the A. flavus on agar were clove (500 ppm), thyme (1000 ppm), lemongrass, and cinnamon (2000 ppm) EOs. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of clove EO revealed eugenol (83.25%) as a major bioactive constituent. An electron microscopy study revealed that clove EO at 500 ppm caused noticeable morphological and ultrastructural alterations of the somatic and reproductive structures. Using both the ammonia vapor (AV) and coconut milk agar (CMA) methods, we not only detected the presence of an aflatoxigenic form of A. flavus in our contaminated peanuts, but we also observed that aflatoxin production was inhibited by clove EO at concentrations between 500 and 2000 ppm. In addition, we established a correlation between the concentration of clove EO and AFB1 production by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We demonstrate in our study that clove oil could be a promising natural fungicide for an effective bio-control, non-toxic bio-preservative, and an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic additives against A. flavus in Georgia peanuts.

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Pesticidal efficacy, mode of action and safety limits profile of essential oils based nanoformulation against Callosobruchus chinensis and Aspergillus flavus

Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology ◽

10.1016/j.pestbp.2021.104813 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 104813

Author(s):

Amrita Yadav ◽

Akshay Kumar ◽

Prem Pratap Singh ◽

Bhanu Prakash

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Mode Of Action ◽

Callosobruchus Chinensis

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Combinational inhibitory action of essential oils and gamma irradiation for controlling Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus growth and their aflatoxins biosynthesis in vitro and in situ conditions

Food Science and Technology International ◽

10.1177/10820132211053086 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108201322110530

Author(s):

Hanan H Abdel-Khalek ◽

Ali AI Hammad ◽

Reham MMA El-Kader ◽

Khayria A Youssef ◽

Dalia AM Abdou

Keyword(s):

Essential Oils ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Aspergillus Parasiticus ◽

Fungal Growth ◽

Storage Period ◽

Complete Removal ◽

Γ Irradiation ◽

Star Anise ◽

In Situ Conditions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of certain essential oils (star anise, lemon leaves, marjoram, fennel, and lavender) on the fungal growth of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus and their production of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The degree of suppression of the aflatoxigenic strains’ growth and their production of AFB1 is mainly affected by the kind and the concentration of the tested essential oils (EOs). Star anise essential oil had the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (0.5 and 1.0 μL/mL) against A. flavus and A. parasiticus, respectively, so it was the best among the five different oils. The study of liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry revealed that star anise EO resulted in a 98% reduction in AFB1 without a breakdown of AFB1 products after treatment thus the complete removal of AFB1 was done without any toxic residues. The combination showed a synergistic effect, the combinational treatment between γ-irradiation at a low dose (2 kGy) and star anise EO at concentrate 0.5 μL/g destroyed A. flavus and A. parasiticus inoculated (individually) in sorghum and peanut, respectively throughout the storage period (8 weeks).

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Antimicrobial Activity of Coriander sativum

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2020/v32i4731117 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 74-81

Author(s):

Samina Amin Qurban Ali ◽

Arif Malik

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Activity ◽

Antioxidant Activity ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Food Additives ◽

Inhibition Zone ◽

Microbial Pathogens ◽

Bacterial Strains ◽

High Concentration ◽

Natural Oils

The increasing rate of drug-repellent pathogens and poisonousness of existing antiseptic compounds has strained attention toward activity of antimicrobial products which are natural. Main purpose of this research was to assess antimicrobial activity of seeds and leaves of Coriandrum sativum’s essential oil, antioxidant, antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of Coriandrum sativum’s ethanol extracts and essential oils. Numerous approaches were used in reviewing the antioxidant activity such as, p-anisidine test – malonaldhyde, DPPH and peroxide value. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts towards six microbial strains; two bacterial strains (Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus), one yeast (Candida tropicals) and three fungal strains (Aspergillus flavus, Mucor sp and Emericella nidulans) was assessed by determination of inhibition zone and count of bacteria, yeast and spares of fungus. The antimicrobial mechanisms found in these essential oils have been explained on the basis of their content in natural compounds such as carvacrol, thymol, p-cymene and c-terpinene, among others. Although these two essential oils have received much attention, scientists working in the fields of biomedicine and food science are paying increasing attention to a wider variety of aromatic natural oils in an effort to identify original and natural applications for the inhibition of microbial pathogens. In conclusion, utilization of coriander or their components as food additives will increase the antioxidant and the antimicrobial potential of the food which prevent food deterioration and improve the shelf-life of food beside its nutritional value. The results revealed that the leaves extracts have high levels of phenolics than the seeds extract. Concerning antioxidant activity, significant decreases (p>0.001) were observed in peroxide, P- anisidine and TBA values as compared to control oil. On the other hand, scavenging activity % of the four extracts on DPPH radical were higher than that of butylated hydroxyl toluene (BHT) especially with high concentration (1000 μg/ ml). Regarding antimicrobial activity, the results showed that the extract of coriander seeds has the highest reduction percent in growth of all the examined microorganisms. The result also revealed that Mucor sp was resistant to the action of parsley extracts while Aspergillus flavus has the highest resistance against coriander extracts.

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Evaluation of antifungal activity of Pittosporum undulatum L. essential oil against Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin production

Ciência e Agrotecnologia ◽

10.1590/s1413-70542011000100008 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 71-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Rosane Tamara da Silva Medeiros ◽

Edlayne Gonçalez ◽

Roberto Carlos Felicio ◽

Joana D'arc Felicio

Keyword(s):

Essential Oil ◽

Essential Oils ◽

Aspergillus Flavus ◽

Fungal Growth ◽

Aflatoxin Production ◽

Plant Oils ◽

Food Commodities ◽

And Storage ◽

Main Producer ◽

Mycelial Development

The presence of mycotoxins as a result of fungal attack can occur before, after and during the harvest and storage operations on agricultural crops and food commodities. Considering the inhibitory property of essential plant oils on the mycelial development of fungi and the importance of Aspergillus flavus, the main producer of aflatoxins, this research was designed to evaluate the toxicity of essential oil from Pittosporum undulatum against A. flavus. The essential oils were obtained from P. undulatum leaves, collected in different months and analyzed by GC/MS. The oils were rich in hydrocarbon, monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes and it was observed a significant variation on the chemical composition of the essential oil of leaves at different months. Besides, the essential oils were tested against fungal growth and the results showed different spectrum of inhibition on A. flavus. However, the essential oils inhibited the aflatoxin B1 production.

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