Antifungal Activities of Messmate and Lemongrass Essential Oils Against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Molds damage food and some produce toxins that affect human health. The use of chemical fungicides is harmful to human health and should be limited. Essential oils having strong anti-microbial properties are applied in the food industry as an alternative to chemical preservatives and meet the human needs of using natural products. This study aimed to determine the inhibition capacity of messmate (Eucalyptus exserta) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oils on Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. By mean of the macrodilution method, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of messmate and lemongrass essential oils against Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were found to be 0.6 μL/mL, 0.15 μL/mL; and 1.2 μL/mL, 0.3 μL/mL, respectively. Mixture of two essential oils reduced the MIC of each fraction. The fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) index found for Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were 0.77 and 0.75, respectively; expressing the additive effect of the mixture of these two essential oils.