Antifungal activity of Thymus daenensis and Satureja hortensis essential oils (EOs) (0, 50, 100, and 150 ppm) were evaluated against Aspergillus fumigatus in vitro and in the Food model system (un‐heat and heat‐treated Doogh) during 21 days. In vitro results showed that minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration of T. daenensis and S. hortensis oils were 6.25 and 12.5%, respectively. In un‐heat treated samples, both EOs showed a significant inhibitory effects rather than the control group at 25 °C than 4 °C. Treatments containing 100 and 150 ppm of T. daenensis EO on the 21st day and treatment containing 50 ppm of S. hortensis EO on the 15th day had maximum inhibitory effect. No growth was observed in the heat‐treated samples and control group. The findings revealed that both EOs had noticeable antifungal activity and can be considered as a natural preservative in the food industry.
Practical applications
Doogh is a traditional Iranian dairy‐based drink which is the same as other dairy fermented products prone to fungal contamination. As a result, application of chemical and synthetic preservatives is common to control microbial growth and increase the shelf life. But, due to their harmful side effects, much research has been being conducted to find a suitable substitute like plant EOs, as natural preservatives in the food industry. This study assessed the antifungal activity of T. daenensis and S. hortensis EOs and their potential applications in food model system.