Antifungal Activity of Artemisia Nilagirica Essential Oil from the Western Ghats Nilgiris against Food Borne Fungi

Commercial antifungal drugs lead to develop fungal resistance and cause their own side effects to humans. Alternative use of plant essential oil as antifungal agent was attempted. The present study revealed that the extracted essential oil from Artemisia nilagirica was assessed for its chemical constituents and antifungal activity against four food borne fungi. Forty compounds were present in the essential oil out of which thujone was the major compound followed by γ- curcimene, α- caryophyllene, lavundulol and germacrene. Minimum inhibitory concentration for Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Penicillium notatum was 57.33, 32.66, 87.66 and 13.66 μl/L air respectively. Results obtained showed that the Essential oil has more potency against P. notatum followed by other fungal species at a slightly higher concentration.

Author(s): Kishmu Lingan

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