SCREENING OF PLANT EXTRACTS ON GROWTH PARAMETERS OF TWO ASPERGILLUS SECTION FLAVI TOXIGENIC STRAINS

Food contamination by fungi and mycotoxins is one of the greatest problems around the world. Some natural products, such as essential oils, have been shown to be effective inhibitors of fungal growth and production of their toxins. Objective: The aim of this study was to test the growth inhibition potential of 40 plant extracts against two Aspergillus section Flavi strains. Method: The extracts were obtained from ten herbs cultivated in Brazil; the screening was a two-stage process. First a wide-spectrum screen based on the agar diffusion method was carried to identify promising antifungal extracts. After that, an analysis of growth parameters was performed with the selected extracts. Results: Essential oils were more effective to control aflatoxigenic strains growth than aqueous and ethanolic extracts. Oregano and cinnamon essential oils, at 600 µg g-1, showed good inhibition against both tested fungal strains. Conclusion: The antifungal activity of the essential oils tested is promising, however further investigation is necessary.