Abstract
Owing to their rich chemical composition, essential oils (EOs) have many interesting properties, including antimicrobial activities. The presence of Fusarium and their secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, in cereal crops is a serious problem in agriculture, which consequently affects food quality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of selected EOs on the growth of Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum and the biosynthesis of mycotoxins in maize seeds. Chromatographic analysis of ergosterol as a fungal growth indicator showed a significant inhibition of Fusarium growth (83.24–99.99%) compared to the control samples, which as a consequence resulted in a reduction in mycotoxin concentrations. The addition of cinnamon, palmarosa, orange, and spearmint EOs was shown to be the most effective in reducing zearalenone concentration (99.10–99.92%). Deoxynivalenol analysis confirmed a very high reduction of this compound at the application all tested EOs (90.69–100%). The obtained results indicated that EOs have a great potential to inhibit growth of Fusarium fungi as well as reduce the concentration of mycotoxins in maize seed.
Highlights
Phenomena such as globalization and industrialization have facilitated free trade in the food market and have led to an increase in the number of threats in the food chain [1].Among many factors, microbiological hazards, which include filamentous fungi and their secondary toxic metabolites–mycotoxins, constitute the biggest problem in food and feed safety
Among Fusarium spp., an important role is played by Fusarium graminearum and
The results showed that all of the tested essential oils (EOs) effectively inhibited growth of both species: F. graminearum and F. culmorum
Summary
Phenomena such as globalization and industrialization have facilitated free trade in the food market and have led to an increase in the number of threats in the food chain [1].Among many factors, microbiological hazards, which include filamentous fungi and their secondary toxic metabolites–mycotoxins, constitute the biggest problem in food and feed safety. Fusarium spp. are widely distributed around the world and cause serious economic losses in agriculture attacking mainly cereals, such as wheat, triticale, barley, rye, oats, and maize, as well as asparagus, onion, and cabbage [2,3,4,5,6]. F. culmorum as the most commonly identified cereal pathogens [7,8]. Due to their cosmopolitan nature, they are found in all regions of the world, while their variability and frequency of occurrence are affected by cultivation methods, climatic conditions, and human interference through global trade and exchange of agricultural commodities [8].
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