Antifungal and antimycotoxigenic activity of essential oils from Eucalyptus globulus, Thymus capitatus and Schinus molle

Abstract

Essential oils (EO) of eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus L.), thymus (Thymus capitatus L.) pirul (Schinus molle L.) were evaluated for their efficacy to control Aspergillus parasiticus and Fusarium moniliforme growth and their ability to produce mycotoxins. Data from kinetics radial growth was used to obtain the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ). The IC 50 was used to evaluate spore germination kinetic and mycotoxin production. Also, spore viability was evaluated by the MTT assay. All EO had an effect on the radial growth of both species. After 96 h of incubation, thymus EO at concentrations of 1000 and 2500 µL L -1 totally inhibited the growth of F. moniliforme and A. parasiticus, respectively. Eucalyptus and thymus EO significantly reduced spore germination of A. parasiticus. Inhibition of spore germination of F. moniliforme was 84.6, 34.0, and 30.6% when exposed to eucalyptus, pirul, and thymus EO, respectively. Thymus and eucalyptus EO reduced aflatoxin (4%) and fumonisin (31%) production, respectively. Spore viability was affected when oils concentration increased, being the thymus EO the one that reduced proliferation of both fungi. Our findings suggest that EO affect F. moniliforme and A. parasiticus development and mycotoxin production.

Antibacterial, Antifungal, Antimycotoxigenic, and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils: An Updated Review

“…Many studies about EOs from Thymus species indicated that these activities were superior to its thymol and carvacrol contents. The corresponding EO pronounced antifungal activity against Aspergillus carbonarius [ 67 ], Aspergillus niger [ 68 , 69 , 70 ], Aspergillus flavus [ 67 , 69 ], and Aspergillus parasiticus [ 71 ]. In addition to Aspergillus spp., the other most studied molds were Penicillium spp.…”

Control of mycotoxigenic fungi with microcapsules of essential oils encapsulated in chitosan

“…A 10 µL sample was taken at 3, 9, and 15 h after incubation from each tube, placed in a glass slide, covered and 100 spores were observed to evaluate germination by looking for the presence of the germ tube. A spore was considered germinated when its germinal tube reached one-half of the spore diameter (López-Meneses et al, 2015). Each germination assay was made in quadruplicate.…”

“…in which S i represents the percentage of germinated spores in the tubes treated with EDs or microcapsules, and S c was the percentage of germinated spores in the Tween control (López-Meneses et al, 2015).…”

Antifungal Activity of Eucalyptus urophylla Oil Against Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum

“…Gakuubi, Maina, & Wagacha (2017) showed the effectiveness of E. camadulensis oil as antifungal of Fusarium spp. López-Meneses et al (2015) evaluated the effectiveness of E.globulus oil against F. moniliforme and A. parasiticus.…”