Studies on Antifungal Properties of Essential Oil of <i>Trachyspermum ammi</i> (L.) Sprague

Abstract

Abstract The essential oil from the fruits of Trachyspermum ammi exhibited toxicity at 800 ppm against Aspergillus flavus and A. niger , the nature of toxicity being cidal. The toxicity of the oil was not affected by autoclaving, temperature treatment and storage upto 365 days. The oil killed the test fungi within 50 seconds; withstood heavy inoculum density and was inhibitory to as many as 21 fungi at its minimum inhibitory concentration. However the seeds of Arachis hypogea whentreated with oil at 5000 ppm and stored for 12 months did not show the appearance of any fungi indicating thereby the grain protectant activity of the oil. The oil was characterized by various physico chemical properties and on chemical investigation Thymol and p‐cymene were isolated as antifungal principles of the oil exhibiting toxicity against the test fungi at 1000 ppm.