Inhibition of Essential Oils on Growth of Aspergillus flavus and Aflatoxin B1 Production in Broth and Poultry Feed

Abstract

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a common contaminant in food and feed during storage, does great harm to human and animal health. Five essential oils (thymol, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and citral) were tested for their inhibition effect against Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) in broth and feed. Cinnamaldehyde and citral were proven to be most effective against A. flavus compared to others and have a synergistic effect when used simultaneously. The broth supplemented with cinnamaldehyde and citral was inoculated with A. flavus (106 CFU/mL) by using the checkerboard method, and mold counts and AFB1 production were tested on days 0, 1, 3, and 5. Similarly, 100 g poultry feed supplemented with the mixture of cinnamaldehyde and citral at the ratio 1:1 was also inoculated with A. flavus, and the same parameters were tested on days 0, 7, 14, and 21. In poultry feed, cinnamaldehyde and citral significantly reduced mold counts and AFB1 concentrations (p < 0.05). Results showed that cinnamaldehyde and citral have a positive synergy effect and could both inhibit at least 90% the fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 production at 40 μg/mL in broth and poultry feed, and could be an alternative to control aflatoxin contamination in food and feed in future.

Enhancement of agri-food by-products: green extractions of bioactive molecules with fungicidal action against mycotoxigenic fungi and their mycotoxins

“…Several published studies reported the antifungal activities of pure chemical compounds; some of them also showed interesting results against mycotoxigenic fungi. Compounds belonging to the terpene and benzaldehyde classes showed reducing activities against aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus species: o-vanillin damaged the mitochondria of A. flavus (35,36), and some essential oils (cinnamaldehyde, thymol, citral, and carvacrol) inhibited A. flavus growth and AFB 1 production (37). In addition, several organic acids (such as benzoic acid, butyric acid, sorbic acid, hop αand β-acids, and phenolic acids), flavonoids, and naphthoquinones have also been shown to reduce A. flavus growth and AFB 1 production (11,(38)(39)(40)(41).…”

Chemical components and antifungal and anti-mycotoxigenic (aflatoxin b1 and fumonisin b1) activity of star anise (Illicium verum) essential oils in Yen Bai Province, Vietnam

“…The fungal growth was determined by measuring the absorbance at 600 nm of the fungal culture in 96-well microplates using a microplate reader for 24 and 48 h. All assays were performed in triplicate. The concentration of star anise essential oil with the best inhibition of mold effect was chosen for the next trials (Han et al, 2022). The percentage of inhibition of fungal growth was calculated using the Equation 1 (Deabes et al, 2011):…”

Novel Strategies for the Biodegradation and Detoxification of Mycotoxins in Post-Harvest Grain

“…Five essential oils (thymol, carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and citral) were tested for their inhibition effects against Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 production in broth and feed. The results showed that cinnamaldehyde and citral have a positive synergistic effect and that both of them could inhibit at least 90% of the fungal growth and aflatoxin B1 production in broth and poultry feed; thus, they could be an alternative to control aflatoxin contamination in food and feed in future [ 6 ]. Li et al revealed that the disruption of redox genes is involved in the mechanism of coumalic acid and geraniol against Aspergillus flavus spore germination, and essential oils have a significant inhibitory effect on germination rates and redox gene expression [ 7 ].…”