Anti-mycotoxigenic and antifungal activity of ginger, turmeric, thyme and rosemary essential oils in deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) producing Fusarium graminearum

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to evaluate the antimycotoxigenic effect of essential oils (EOs) obtained from four different aromatic plants on the production of deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) by Fusarium graminearum. The EOs from ginger (GEO), turmeric (TEO), thyme (ThEO) and rosemary (REO) were obtained by hydrodistillation and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The major compounds found were mostly monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicide concentration (MFC) were 11.25, 364, 366 and 11,580 µg mL⁻¹ for ThEO, GEO, REO and TEO, respectively. The results evidenced that the assessed EOs inhibited DON and partially ZEA production by F. graminearum. ThEO and GEO were the EOs with most potent antimycotoxigenic action for DON and ZEA, respectively. These EOs have shown promising results in vitro regarding inhibition of mycotoxin production and might be used in the future as substitutes for synthetic fungicides.

KEYWORDS:

• Fusarium graminearum
• natural products
• mycotoxins
• deoxynivalenol
• zearalenone
• GC/MS
• HPLC

Acknowledgments

This paper was part of the M. Sc. thesis work that was presented by the first author.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001 and [# 028.054/2009], as well as the Complex of Central Research Support (Complexo de Centrais de Apoio a Pesquisa - Comcap) at State University of Maringa.