Abstract
Phytopathogenic fungi have been responsible for considerable economic losses in vineyards, and therefore, more attention should be paid to the development and implementation of preventative treatment that is environmentally friendly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of ten essential oils (EOs) (viz. Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Carum carvi L., Pinus mugo var. pumilio, Mentha piperita L., Foeniculum vulgare L., Pinus sylvestris L., Satureja hortensis L., Origanum vulgare L., Pimpinella anisum L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L.). For the antifungal activity evaluation against Penicillium brevicompactum, P. citrinum, P. crustosum, P. expansum, P. funiculosum, P. glabrum, P. chrysogenum, P. oxalicum, P. polonicum and Talaromyces purpurogenus a disc diffusion method was used. The ten EOs exhibited different antifungal properties. Three tested EOs (Carum carvi L., Satureja hortensis L. and Pimpinella anisum L.) at concentrations of 0.75, 0.50, 0.25 and 0.125 µL/mL showed antifungal activity, inhibiting the mycelial growth. The Origanum vulgare L. EOs exhibited a lower level of inhibition. Overall, Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Pinus mugo var. pumilio, Mentha piperita L., Foeniculum vulgare L., Pinus sylvestris L., Satureja hortensis L., Pimpinella anisum L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. were effective as fungicidal agents but their efficiency varied between the strains of fungi. Carum carvi L. showed strong antifungal activity against all tested strains at both full strength and reduced concentrations. These EOs could be considered as potential sources of antifungal compounds for treating plant fungal diseases.
Highlights
Many Penicillium species are soil fungi, while others find their habitat in decaying vegetables, seeds or fruits, which are ecological niches that play a role in the food rotting process
The essential oils (EOs) used in this study were commercial samples from Calendula a.s., Nová Ľubovňa, Slovakia (Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Carum carvi L., Pinus mugo var. pumilio, Mentha piperita L., Foeniculum vulgare L., Pinus sylvestris L., Satureja hortensis L., Origanum vulgare L., Pimpinella anisum L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L.)
The chemical analyses by CG/MS revealed that the main constituents of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. were linalool (39.31%) and linalyl acetate (37.68%), for Carum carvi L., carvone (69.54%) and limonene (21.12%); for Pinus mugo var. pumilio, α-pinene (21.26%); for Mentha piperita L., menthol (28.56%) and menthone (27.39%); for Foeniculum vulgare L., anethole (24.98%); for Pinus sylvestris L., α-pinene (26.15%), camphene (15.51%) and bornyl acetate (14.59%); for Satureja hortensis L., carvacrol (41.23%) and γ-terpinene (32.11%); for Origanum vulgare L., carvacrol (43.26%); for Pimpinella anisum L., anethole (63.25%); and for Rosmarinus officinalis L., 1,4-cineole (21.26%), α-pinene (15.65%) and p-cymene (13.28%) [24]
Summary
Many Penicillium species are soil fungi, while others find their habitat in decaying vegetables, seeds or fruits, which are ecological niches that play a role in the food rotting process. For example P. expansum causes decay of oranges in the citrus industry or rot in grapes [1]. These species are known as the major producers of patulin and many other toxic metabolites such as citrinin, roquefortine C or chaetoglobosins among others [2]. Growth of Penicillium in food products is entirely undesirable, especially as many Penicillium species produce mycotoxins and volatile secondary metabolites that are regarded as health hazards and off-flavors [3]. The antimicrobial activities of plant extracts have many applications, including raw and processed food preservation, as pharmaceuticals, alternative medicines and natural therapies [13,14]
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