| ABSTRACT: Molds are one of the most important causes of food spoilage that produce toxic
substances called mycotoxins, which endanger the consumer health. The adverse effects of
synthetic food preservatives consumption made researches to focus on application of natural
preservatives in order to increase shelf life of food as well as prevention of harmful effects of
chemical preservatives. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of Echinophora
platyloba essential oil on spore growth of Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium expansum and Fusarium
graminearum. The essential oil composition of E. platyloba was analyzed by gas chromatography–
mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and its antifungal effect was evaluated by disk diffusion and micro
dilution methods. Results revealed that the MIC values of essential oil for A. flavus, P. expansum
and F. graminearum were 0.625 mg.mL-1
, 0.625 mg.mL-1
and 0.3125 mg.mL-1
and the MFC
values were 0.625 mg.mL-1
, 1.250 mg.mL-1
and 0.625 mg.mL-1
. The essential oil had the highest
and the lowest anti-fungal effect on F. graminearum and A. flavus respectively. In conclusion, due
to notable antifungal effects of E. platyloba essential oil, it can be practically applied as a natural
alternative to chemical preservatives in food industry |