Chemical Composition and Antifungal Effect of Echinophora platyloba Essential Oil against Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium expansum and Fusarium graminearum

Molds are one of the most important causes of food spoilage that produce toxic substances called mycotoxins, which endanger the consumer health. The adverse effects of synthetic food preservatives consumption made researches to focus on application of natural preservatives in order to increase shelf life of food as well as prevention of harmful effects of chemical preservatives. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Echinophora platyloba essential oil on spore growth of Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium expansum and Fusarium graminearum. The essential oil composition of E. platyloba was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and its antifungal effect was evaluated by disk diffusion and micro dilution methods. Results revealed that the MIC values of essential oil for A. flavus, P. expansum and F. graminearum were 0.625 mg.mL-1, 0.625 mg.mL-1 and 0.3125 mg.mL-1 and the MFC values were 0.625 mg.mL-1, 1.250 mg.mL-1 and 0.625 mg.mL-1. The essential oil had the highest and the lowest anti-fungal effect on F. graminearum and A. flavus respectively. In conclusion, due to notable antifungal effects of E. platyloba essential oil, it can be practically applied as a natural alternative to chemical preservatives in food industry.