A Pilot Study for Evaluate the Efficacy of Some Citrus Fruits Oil Essential as Eco-Friendly Fungicides

Research today is directed towards developing of alternative measures to chemical pesticides.The use of natural molecules and eco-friendly, such as essential oils, is currently of great interest for their application in biological agricultural productions, because they exhibit low levels of toxicity to humans and animals.The researchers in the laboratory of Agricultural and Food Microbiology of Agri-Food and Environmental Systems Management Department with the researchers in the Food and Environmental Hygiene Laboratory (LIAA) of "G.F. Ingrassia " Department (Hygiene and Public Health), have started a pilot study to assess the efficacy of essential oils of citrus fruits, especially of lemon and tangerine, on the mycelial growth and on the aflatoxins production by Aspergillus flavus.The growth of A. flavus was carried out in a YES liquid medium.The samples have been filtered in order to separate the mycelium from the supernatant and mycelial growth was evaluated by weighing.The Aflatoxins analysis was carried out in the supernatant through a LC-ESI-TQD Varian 320 MS.The efficacy of essential oils as a biocompatible fungicide was evaluated. Our partial results suggest as of now that lemons oil essential, at the 2% of concentration, is active for control of A. flavus, instead, the tangerine oil essential not provided positive results against this aflatoxigenic fungus. These initials results indicate that use of lemon oil essential represents a promising tool for its application in biological agriculture as well as a new method of treatments in field finalized to aflatoxin's reduction in food with related reduction of exposure risks of worker and consumers.