Antifungal effect of Chinese essential oils against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus

The objective of this work was to study antifungal activity of Chinese essential oils of Cinnamomum cassia, Pogostemon cablin (patchouli) and Allium sativum against moulds associated with food spoilage and mycotoxin production: Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. Fungi were cultured on Potato Dextrose agar (PDA) with adjusted water activity (aw) levels (0, 95 and 0, 98). Minimal inhibitory (MIC) and minimal fungicidal (MFC) concentrations of essential oils were determined in Malt Extract broth by macro broth dilution method. Essential oils at 0, 100, 250 and 500 ppm were added to adjusted PDA and colony growth inhibition was measured during incubation at 25?0, 5°C. Results showed that most effective inhibitory effect had essential oils of Cinnamomum cassia and Allium sativum at both water activity levels. Essential oil of Pogostemon cablininterfered with growth of selected strains only at 500 ppm at both aw levels respectively. Essential oils of Cinnamomum cassia and Allium sativum could be considered as suitable alternatives to chemical additives for usage in food industry as a protective agents against toxicogenic fungal infections.