Essential oils from aerial parts of Senecio nutans, Senecio viridis, Tagetes terniflora and Aloysia gratissima were analysed by GC-MS and their antifungal activities were assayed on toxigenic Fusarium and Aspergillus species. Sabinene (27.6 ± 0.1%), α-phellandrene (15.7 ± 0.3%), o-cymene (9.6 ± 0.2%) and β-pinene (6.1 ± 0.2%) in S. nutans, 9,10-dehydrofukinone (92.7 ± 0.2%) in S. viridis, β-thujone (36.1 ± 0.1%), α-thujone (32.2 ± 0.2%), 1,8-cineol (10.7 ± 0.1%) and sabinene (6.2 ± 0.2%) in A. gratissima, and cis-tagetone (33.6 ± 0.2%), cis-β-ocimene (17.1 ± 0.2%), trans-tagetone (17.0 ± 0.1%), cis-ocimenone (8.0 ± 0.2%) and trans-ocimenone (8.2 ± 0.1%) in T. terniflora. The oils showed moderate antifungal activity (1.2 mg/mL > MIC >0.6 mg/mL) on the Fusarium species and a weak effect on Aspergillus species. The antifungal activity was associated on F. verticillioides to the high content of cis-tagetone, trans-tagetone, cis-β-ocimene, cis-ocimenone, trans-ocimenone and on F. graminearum due to the total content of oxygenated sesquiterpenes and 9,10- dehydrofukinone. The oil of S. viridis synergized the effect of fungicides and food preservatives on F. verticillioides.[Formula: see text].
Keywords: Aspergillus; Fusarium; essential oils.