Antifungal Activity of Monathotaxis littoralis essential oil against mycotoxigenic fungi isolated from maize

Abstract

This study evaluated the antifungal activity of the essential oil which was isolated from Monanthotaxis littoralis
(Annonaceae) against mycotoxigenic fungi from three genera (Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium) isolated
from maize samples. The oil of M. littoralis was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by Gas
Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Some of the major components of the oil were (+,-)-
tetramisole, Cis, trans-2, 3-dimethylthiochroman-4-carbonitrile and 1-Adamantyl methyl ketone. Among the
Aspergillus species the antifungal screening showed that the oil was more active against Aspergillus flavus
with inhibition zone about 17.50 mm. From the Fusarium species Fusarium proliferatum had the highest
inhibition zone of 20.17 mm and Penicillium purporogenum showed the lowest resistance to the oil from the
Penicillium species with inhibition zone of 39.00 mm. The extent of inhibition of fungal growth was dependent
on the concentration of the oil. The oil Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values ranged from 26.00 to
410mg/ml. These results show that the essential oil from M. littoralis can be used to inhibit the growth of
mycotoxigenic fungi that produce poisonous mycotoxins in foods.