Antifungal potential of garlic essential oil on Aspergillus species isolated from food

Abstract

Aspergillus species are common contaminants of medium and low moisture foods. By their metabolic activity, they cause food spoilage, leading to great economic damage. However, much higher problem are toxigenic species, which under certain conditions can synthesize and excrete mycotoxins, extremely toxic compounds, in food. It is well known that species A. flavus and A. parasiticus can produce aflatoxins, A. carbonarius, A. ochraceus and A. niger (some isolates) can synthesize ochratoxin A (OTA), while A. versicolor can produce sterigmatocystin (STC). Alimentary intake of these toxic compounds in humans and animals organism could causes diseases called mycotoxicosis. Mycotoxicosis are manifested by various harmful effects on human and animal cells, such as cytotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, teratogenicity, mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, etc. To prevent the side effects that different molds species can have as food contaminants, it is important to know the molds species, their properties, as well as the influence of different factors that can stimulate or inhibit their growth. On the other hand, increasing demand for food that is minimally technologically processed and without synthetic additives, have led to an increase of interest and use of natural additives, such as plant extracts and essential oils.

Aspergillus vrste su česti kontaminenti srednje i niskovlažne hrane. Svojom metaboličkom aktivnošću uzrokuju kvarenje hrane, a samim tim i velike ekonomske štete. Međutim, veliki problem predstavaljaju toksigene vrste, koje pod određenim uslovima mogu sintetisati i izlučiti u hranu izuzetno toksična jedinjenja – mikotoksine. Tako, vrste A. flavus i A. parasiticus su poznate po produkciji aflatoksina, A. carbonarius, A. ochraceus i A. niger (neki izolati) po sintezi ohratoksina A (OTA), a A. versicolor sintetiše sterigmatocistin (STC). Alimentarnim unošenjem ovih toksičnih jedinjenja u organizam ljudi i životinja nastaju oboljenja - mikotoksikoze. Mikotoksikoze se manifestuju različitim štetnim efektima na humane i animalne ćelije, kao što su citotoksičnost, hepatotoksičnost, teratogenost, mutagenost, kancerogenost, i dr. Poznavanjem vrsta plesni, njihovih svojstava, kao i odnosa prema faktorima koji mogu stimulisati ili inhibirati njihov rast, bitno je za sprečavanje neželjenih efekata koje one mogu imati kao kontaminenti hrane. S druge strane, povećanje potrebe za hranom koja je minimalno tehnološki procesirana i bez sintetičkih konzervanasa i aditiva doveli su do povećanog interesa za prirodne biokonzervanse, kao što su ekstrakti i etarska ulja biljaka.