Cinnamaldehyde, a Promising Natural Preservative Against Aspergillus flavus

Abstract

The problem of food spoilage due to Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) needs to be resolved. In this study, we found that the minimum inhibitory concentration of cinnamaldehyde (CA) that inhibited A. flavus was 0.065 mg/ml and that corn can be prevented from spoiling at a concentration of 0.13 mg/cm 3. In addition to inhibiting spore germination, mycelial growth, and biomass production, CA can also reduce ergosterol synthesis and can cause cytomembrane damage. Our intention was to elucidate the antifungal mechanism of CA. Flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and western blot were used to reveal that different concentrations of CA can cause a series of apoptotic events in A. flavus, including elevated Ca 2+ and reactive oxygen species, decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (ψ m), the release of cytochrome c, the activation of metacaspase, phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization, and DNA damage. Moreover, CA significantly increased the expression levels of apoptosis-related genes (Mst3, Stm1, AMID, Yca1, DAP3, and HtrA2). In summary, our results indicate that CA is a promising antifungal agent for use in food preservation.

Transcriptome Sequencing Revealed an Inhibitory Mechanism of Aspergillus flavus Asexual Development and Aflatoxin Metabolism by Soy-Fermenting Non-Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus

“…This fungus is also hard to eliminate, both as a plant and human pathogen, due to its resistance to many common fungicides and a limited ability to apply fungicides to edible portions of plants or foodstuffs [ 30 ]. However, several different methods have been developed to combat this fungus and decrease the losses caused by its contamination and by mycotoxins [ 2 , 31 , 32 , 33 ].…”

“…Aspergillus flavus is a common saprophytic fungus that contaminates many important seed crops, including peanuts, corn, and pistachios [ 1 , 2 ]. The contamination of A. flavus causes huge economic losses to agricultural production across the world.…”

Bioactive Natural Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils from Spice Plants: New Findings and Potential Applications

“…In addition, EOs and their constituents have been investigated as an alternative additive in the food industry [ 44 , 59 ] in contrast to synthetic antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole, and propyl gallate, that have exhibited undesired effects to human health [ 60 , 61 ]. Natural compounds from plant EOs which have shown biological activities with potential pharmaceutical applications include ( E )-cinnamaldehyde (antifungal activity, Figure 1 panel A) [ 62 ]; menthol and L-menthol (analgesic activity, panels B and C) [ 63 ]; cuminaldehyde (anticancer activity, panel D) [ 64 ]; eucalyptol and eugenol (anti-inflammatory activity, panels E and F) [ 65 , 66 , 67 ]; and thymol, carvacrol, and methyl chavicol (antioxidant activities, panels G, H, and I) [ 68 , 69 ]. It is important to note that some well-known compounds found in EOs have been recently described with new biological activities, e.g., monoterpenes such as thymol, carvacrol, and p -cymene have been reported to reduce lung emphysema and inflammation [ 70 ] and eugenol has shown activity against several parasites with clinical relevance [ 71 , 72 ].…”

Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry Profiling of Volatile Compounds Reveals Metabolic Changes in a Non-Aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Induced by 5-Azacytidine

“…flavus is a notorious crossover pathogen, disseminating in agricultural soils, that could not only spoil crop seeds and foodstuffs but also be a pathogen of immunosuppressed patients [2]. The contamination of aflatoxins (AFs) and other mycotoxins produced by this fungus on foodstuff or crop seeds has been the cause of significant concern within the food industry and farmers [26,27]. This fungus is hard to eliminate from the environment as the formation of resistant overwintering structures, sclerotia.…”