Abstract

Background: The development of Aspergillus niger fungi at the surface and in the food products is indeed very often seen, especially in the tins. It is essential to find a solution for a better conservation using natural bioactive molecules such as essential oil (EO) of rosemary. Aims and Objectives: The aim of our study is to detect in vitro the antifungal effect of Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) EO, against the fungal strain A. niger contaminating various food products and responsible for invasive fungal infection.
Materials and Methods: The EO of R. officinalis is picked in the city of Tebessa-Algeria, and extracted by steam distillation using a Linkens Nickerson-type device. The chemical analysis is performed by ion-exchange gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The determination of the activity and the minimal inhibitory concentrations of the EO are performed by the method of incorporation in sabouraud agar medium.
Results: We found that the EO contain 14 components, the major one is 1.8 cineol (63.65%), the study of its antifungal activity on selection of a major foods contaminated by A. niger shows an activity on all strains tested with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.5%. We also remark a fungistatic effect. Conclusion: Therefore, conclusions of this study can solve the problem of poor preservation of food products and the health risks associated with exposure to mold in particular A. niger food source.