Lemongrass Essential Oil as an Alternate Approach to manage Seed Associated Fungi of Wheat and Rice

Insights into chemistry, extraction and industrial application of lemon grass essential oil -A review of recent advances

“…LEO's lipophilic nature allows it to act directly on fungal lipid bilayers, generating charge-transfer complexes that destabilize the membrane and inhibit future membrane production. LEO, together with its components, has consistently shown efficacy against fungal spore generation, enhancing the storage life of food products ( Jayasena & Jo, 2013 ; Oh et al, 2017 ; Muhammad et al, 2017 ; Artiga-Artigas, Acevedo-Fani & Martín-Belloso, 2017 ).…”

Inhibition of Fungal Strains Isolated from Cereal Grains via Vapor Phase of Essential Oils

“…Fungal contamination in stored food grains is a global concern and affects food economics both directly and indirectly [ 1 ]. Approximately 20% of wheat that would otherwise be available each year is lost due to diseases [ 2 , 4 ]. In addition, the mycotoxins secreted by different seed-borne fungi cause qualitative losses of commodities, and potentially induce various health problems in consumers [ 5 ].…”

“…Many studies have explored various nonchemical fungi management practices, including traditional methods such as drying to a safe moisture level, aeration, and dry heating and novel control measures such as hermetic storage, microwave heating, and applications of gaseous ozone, cold plasma, ionizing radiation, pulsed light, or supercritical carbon dioxide (SCeCO 2 ) [ 1 ]. In addition, the use of plant extracts and essential oils (EOs) for the control of seed-associated fungi could be an eco-friendly solution, resulting in a lower chance of pathogens developing resistance [ 4 , 8 ].…”

“…EOs are volatile, oily liquids extracted from various plant materials; they are complex mixtures of chemical compounds with predominant terpenes associated with alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones [ 4 ]. Due to their bioactivity in the vapor phase, their low toxicity for humans, and their biodegradability and antifungal properties, EOs could find applications as fumigants for the protection of cereals and cereal-based products [ 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”