Antifungal Activity and Detoxification of Aflatoxins by Plant Extracts: Potential for Food Applications
Bárbara Ponzilacqua, Carlos Humberto Corassin, Carlos Augusto Fernandes Oliveira*
Department of Food Engineering, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. Duque de Caxias Norte, 225, CEP 13635-900, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
Abstract
Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi of the genus Aspergillus, which occur naturally in cereals like corn, beans and rice. Aflatoxin B1 causes an extensive number of toxic effects in animals and humans. This mycotoxin is a stable term and can act in low concentrations due to their higher toxicity. Management to prevent commodities aflatoxin contamination is essential during the production, mainly in pre- and post-harvest steps. A number of essential oils and aqueous plant extracts have been reported to be fungal growth inhibitors and may provide an attractive alternative to prevent aflatoxin contamination in foods. Thus, the aim of this review is to highlight recent data on the in vitro antifungal activity of essential oils and aqueous extracts from plants and discuss the perspectives of their use in food products.
Keywords: Aspergillus spp., Aflatoxin B1, Essential oils, Inhibition, Plant extracts, Essential oil, Antimicrobial.
Article Information
Article History:
Received Date: 22/8/2018
Revision Received Date: 26/9/2018
Acceptance Date: 10/10/2018
Electronic publication date: 30/10/2018
Collection year: 2018
© 2018 Silva et al.
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Food Engineering, School of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Av. Duque de Caxias Norte, 225, CEP 13635-900, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil; Tel.: +5519-3565-4173; E-mail :carlosaf@usp.br
Open Peer Review Details |
Manuscript submitted on 22-8-2018 |
Original Manuscript |
Antifungal Activity and Detoxification of Aflatoxins by Plant Extracts: Potential for Food Applications |