Chemical composition and antiaflatoxigenic activity of Carum carvi L., Thymus vulgaris and Citrus aurantifolia essential oils

In order to find Out plants useful to controlling aflatoxins (AFs) production, the essential oils (EOs) from 12 medicinal plants prepared by hydrodistillation were studied with special reference to the inhibition of Aspergillus parasiticus growth and AFs production. The toxigenic fungus was cultured in presence of various oils in 6-well microplates using a microbioassay technique. The mycelial mass was estimated as an index of fungal growth, while the aflatoxins B-1 (AFB(1)) and G(1) (AFG(1)) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Among plants tested, Thymus vulgari and Citrus aurantifolia were found to inhibit both A. parasiticus and AF production. The EOs from Mentha spicata L., Foeniculum miller, Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Conium maculatum and Artemisia dracunculus were only inhibited fungal growth, while Carum carvi L. effectively inhibited AF production without any obvious effect on fungal growth. The other plants including Ferula gummosa, Citrus sinensis, Mentha longifolia and Eucalyptus camaldulensis had no effect on A. parasiticus growth and AF production at all concentrations used. The IC50 values of T. vulgaris, C. aurantifolia and C. carvi for AF inhibition were reported as 93.5, 285.6, and 621.9 mu g/ml for AFB(1), while they were calculated as 11.7, 50.1, and 56.0 mu g/ml for AFG(1). These results indicate that the EOs of some medicinal plants may be considered as potential candidates to protect foods and feeds from toxigenic fungus growth and subsequent AF contamination. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.