Abstract
The increasing demand for safe food without preservatives or pesticides residues has encouraged several studies on natural products with antifungal activity and low toxicity. In this study, ethanolic extracts from leaves and fruit residues (peel and seeds) of three Brazilian savanna species (Acrocomia aculeata, Campomanesia adamantium and Caryocar brasiliense) were evaluated against phytopathogenic fungi. Additionally, the most active extract was chemically characterized by ESI-MS and its oral acute toxicity was evaluated. Extracts from C. brasiliense (pequi) peel and leaves were active against Alternaria alternata, Alternaria solani and Venturia pirina with minimal inhibitory concentrations between 350 and 1000 µg/mL. When incorporated in solid media, these extracts extended the lag phase of A. alternata and A. solani and reduced the growth rate of A. solani. Pequi peel extract showed better antifungal activity and their ESI-MS analysis revealed the presence of substances widely reported as antifungal such as gallic acid, quinic acid, ellagic acid, glucogalin and corilagin. The oral acute toxicity was relatively low, being considered safe for use as a potential natural fungicide.Graphical
Highlights
The most important phytopathogens include bacteria, fungi, nematodes and viruses, which can attack different crops resulting in considerable economic losses
The highest yield was observed for the crude extract of guavira seeds (64.16 %) followed by crude extracts obtained from pequi leaves (41.97 %) and pequi peels (26.29 %)
Regarding to Minimal Fungicidal Concentration (MFC), only the extract of pequi peels showed activity against A. solani, at concentration of 1000 lg/mL, whose MFC:Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) ratio was 2.86:1.0, which according to Dolan and Costerton [15] defines the action of the extract as fungistatic
Summary
The most important phytopathogens include bacteria, fungi, nematodes and viruses, which can attack different crops resulting in considerable economic losses. Synthetic preservatives and fungicides have been used for decades to control fungal spoilage, the indiscriminate use of these substances has caused health problems for humans and animals due their carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and acute toxicity [3], environmental contamination, besides causing resistance in pathogens [4]. Friendly antifungal agents, such as plant extracts have shown great potential to replace synthetic products due their low cost, local availability, lack of toxicity and biodegradability [5]. The fruit species inserted in the Brazilian savanna flora have great potential for use in agriculture [8] due to their high nutritional value, peculiarity of sensory attributes such as flavour and intense aroma [9]. In this study we assessed in vitro antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi using plant extracts obtained from leaves and fruit residues of some Brazilian savanna species. The extract with the best activity was submitted to chemical characterization by ESI-MS and acute oral toxicity evaluation
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