INHIBITORY EFFECTS OF SOME NATIVE MEDICINAL PLANTS ON ASPERGILLUS PARASITICUS GROWTH AND AFLATOXIN PRODUCTION

In the present study, essential oils (EOs) and extracts of 8 medicinal plants were studied against an aflatoxin-producing A. parasiticus using a microbioassay technique. The EOs were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Based on the results obtained, Achillea millefolium subsp. elborsensis, Thymus vulgaris, Azadirachta indica, Conium maculatum and Artemisia dracunculus remarkably inhibited A. parasiticus growth dose dependently. The highest inhibitory effect on fungal growth was observed in the final concentration of 1000 μg/ml as 65, 100, 66.4, 90 and 71.1%, respectively. Thymus vulgaris was the sole inhibitor of aflatoxin production which significantly inhibited both aflatoxins B₁ and G₁ production by the fungus with IC₅₀ values of 112 and 21.9 μg/ml, accordingly. Antifungal activities of bioactive plants introduced in the present work would be an important contribution to explain the use of these plants as effective candidates to protect food, feed and agricultural commodities from toxigenic fungus growth and subsequent AF contamination.