Maize Fungal Growth Control with Scopoletin of Cassava Roots Produced in Benin

Abstract

The chemical contamination of food is among the main public health issues in developing countries. With a view to find new natural bioactive products against fungi responsible for chemical contamination of staple food such as maize, the antifungal activity tests of scopoletin extracted from different components of the cassava root produced in Benin were carried out. The dosage of scopoletin from parts of the root (first skin, second skin, whole root, and flesh) was done by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. The scopoletin extract was used to assess the activity of 12 strains (11 strains of maize and a reference strain). The presence of scopoletin was revealed in all components of the cassava root. Scopoletin extracted from the first skin cassava root was the most active both as inhibition of sporulation (52.29 to 87.91%) and the mycelial growth (36.51-80.41%). Scopoletin extract from the cassava root skins showed significant inhibitory activity on the tested strains with fungicide concentration (MFC) between 0.0125 mg/mL and 0.1 mg/mL. The antifungal scopoletin extracted from the cassava root skins may be well beneficial for the fungal control of the storage of maize.

LC‐MS quantification of scopoletin in cassava (Manihot EsculentaCrantz) varieties, local derived foods, and activity on some food spoilage fungi

“…These results concur those of Gnonlonfin et al () and Ba et al () who also highlight preferential accumulation of scopoletin in the flesh of cassava cultivars in Benin. The difference in scopoletin concentration in the various cassava parts could be related to differences in composition of the crop’s skin and flesh, as the latter is richer in primary metabolites (starch, glucoses, …), nutritive substances, and amino acids which are possible activators of the scopoletin biosynthesis pathway (Djuikwo, Aba, Gouado, Mbofung, & Tanumohardjo, ; Gil & Buitrago, ).…”

“…These results corroborate those of Ba et al () who show the antifungal effectiveness of scopoletin extract from cassava (variety BEN86052) on some fungal strains isolated from stored maize in Benin. This stems from the fact that scopoletin is a coumarin that inhibits enzymes and interacts with DNA of molds (Ojala, Vuorela, Kiviranta, Vuorela, & Hiltunen, ; Zobel, ) and whose antifungal activity constitutes one of its main biological activities (Rodriguez, Buschmann, Iglesis, & Beeching, ).…”

“…Indeed, the biosynthesis of scopoletin in cassava roots is influenced by genetic and environmental factors (Beeching et al, ). It has antitumor, anti‐inflammatory, hepatoprotective (Chung‐Long, Xian‐Cheng, Zhang, Jin‐Sheng, & Bao, ; Obidoa & Obasi, ) as well as fungistatic activity on certain mycotoxin‐producing molds (Ba et al, ; Gnonlonfin et al, ; Gomez‐Vasquez et al, ).…”

Root-Secreted Coumarins and the Microbiota Interact to Improve Iron Nutrition in Arabidopsis

“…The greater impact on the microbiota observed in f6'h1 compared with s8h plants, in terms of deASVs detected and their relative Article abundance (RA), suggests that both scopoletin and fraxetin impact bacterial microbiota assembly. Indeed, a metagenome analysis indicated an altered microbial multi-kingdom assemblage and provided evidence for selective scopoletin anti-fungal activity against soil-borne fungal pathogens in vitro (Ba et al, 2017;Carpinella et al, 2005;Kai et al, 2006;Stringlis et al, 2018). However, we cannot exclude that iron malnutrition in f6'h1 plants has additional consequences on the microbiota.…”

Embryo and Endosperm Phytochemicals from Polyembryonic Maize Kernels and Their Relationship with Seed Germination

“…In this regard, Wichers et al [27], reported the presence of 3,4-DHEA-EA as a predecessor antioxidant of different phenolic compounds in olive trees. Ba et al [28] mentioned that Scopoletin found in cassava roots has an inhibitory activity of sporulation and mycelial growth. While, Goodwin et al [29] documented this compound in the region of cell lengthening, being able to attribute it, to the formation of root tissue, in addition, Dennis et al [25] found this compound in root secretions.…”