Evaluation of Chenopodium ambrosioides oil as a potential source of antifungal, antiaflatoxigenic and antioxidant activity

• Published in: International journal of food microbiology Vol. 115; no. 2; pp. 159 - 164
• Main Authors: Kumar, Rajesh, Mishra, Ajay Kumar, Dubey, N.K., Tripathi, Y.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 30.04.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: A. flavus; ABTS; aerial parts; Aflatoxin; aflatoxin B1; Aflatoxins - biosynthesis; Antifungal; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; antifungal properties; Antioxidant; antioxidant activity; antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; aromatic plant; Aspergillus; Aspergillus - drug effects; Aspergillus - growth & development; Aspergillus flavus; Aspergillus flavus - drug effects; Aspergillus flavus - growth & development; Aspergillus fumigatus; Aspergillus niger; Biological and medical sciences; Botryodiplodia theobromae; C. ambrosioides; Chenopodiaceae; Chenopodium; Chenopodium ambrosioides; Chenopodium ambrosioides - chemistry; Cladosporium cladosporioides; Colony Count, Microbial; essential oils; Fat industries; Food Contamination - prevention & control; Food industries; Food Microbiology; Food Preservation - methods; food spoilage; food storage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fungi - drug effects; Fungi - growth & development; Fusarium - drug effects; Fusarium - growth & development; Fusarium oxysporum; Helminthosporium oryzae; herbs; indigenous species; Macrophomina phaseolina; medicinal plants; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; molds (fungi); Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Pest Control, Biological; plant extracts; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Oils - pharmacology; postharvest treatment; Pythium debaryanum; Sclerotium rolfsii; Shelf life; stored product protection; toxigenic strains; Triticum aestivum; wheat; India; Antifungal; C. ambrosioides; A. flavus; Shelf life; Antioxidant; ABTS; Aflatoxin; Evaluation; Mycotoxin; Chenopodiaceae; Toxin; Antifungal agent; Chenopodium; Oil; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Food preservation; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0168-1605; 1879-3460
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2006.10.017

Essential oil extracted from the leaves of Chenopodium ambrosioides Linn. (Chenopodiaceae) was tested against the aflatoxigenic strain of test fungus Aspergillus flavus Link. The oil completely inhibited the mycelial growth at 100 μg/ml. The oil exhibited broad fungitoxic spectrum against Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Fusarium oxysporum, Sclerotium rolfsii, Macrophomina phaseolina, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Helminthosporium oryzae and Pythium debaryanum at 100 μg/ml. The oil showed significant efficacy in inhibiting the aflatoxin B1 production by the aflatoxigenic strain of A. flavus. During in vivo investigation it protected stored wheat from different storage fungi for one year. Chenopodium oil also exhibited potent antioxidant activity when tested by ABTS method. All these observations suggest the possible exploitation of the Chenopodium oil as potential botanical fungitoxicant in ecofriendly control of post harvest biodeterioration of food commodities from storage fungi.