Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of Cinnamon, Clove, Thymes, Zataria Multiflora, Cumin and Caraway Essential Oils against Ochratoxigenic Aspergillus ochraceus
Zohreh Abdi Moghadam
Student Research Committee, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hedayat Hosseini *
Department of Food Science and Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran and Food Safety Research Centre, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Zahra Hadian *
Research Department of Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Bita Asgari *
Department of Botany, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran.
Leila Mirmoghtadaie
Department of Food Science and Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abdorreza Mohammadi
Department of Food Science and Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran and Food Safety Research Centre, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Ehsan Shamloo
Student Research Committee, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nasrin Haji Seyed Javadi
Research Department of Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Introduction: Mycotoxin producing fungi are major contributors to food contamination and many epidemics in humans and animals. The adverse effects of the use of chemical preservatives have led to a special focus on the use of natural compounds, especially plant derivatives. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal properties of herbal essential oils of Cinnamon, Clove, Thymes, and Zataria multiflora, Cumin, and Caraway on the growth of Aspergillus ochraceus.
Materials and Methods: Briefly, the presence of mycotoxin producing gene was investigated using PCR. Furthermore, production of mycotoxin in a medium with high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (FLD) was evaluated. Ingredients of essential oils were determined using GC/MS. The amount of antifungal activity of essential oils was assessed by disc diffusion and well diffusion method. Additionally, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by macrodilution method.
Results: Gene presence and mycotoxin production were confirmed by PCR and HPLC-FL. Among all studied essential oils, Cinnamon with MIC and MFC of 0.078 μl / ml exhibited the greatest effect on A. ochraceus growth as compared to other essential oils.
Conclusion: This study indicated that essential oils have an effective role on controlling A. ochraceus growth and have shown promising to be a good bioactive natural preservative in food industry.
Keywords: Aspergillus ochraceus, mycotoxin, essential oils, MIC, antifungal activity