Proteomic analysis of antifungal mechanism of star anise essential oil against Aspergillus niger and its application potential in prolonging bread shelf life

Abstract

In this paper, the main chemical constituents of star anise essential oil (AEO) were analyzed. Then the antifungal mechanism of AEO against Aspergillus niger was investigated by proteomics and its application potential in prolonging the shelf life of bread was analyzed. à-Guaiene was the highest content in AEO, followed by Azulene and Terpinen-4-ol. AEO can reduce the ATP content and cell viability of A. niger. A total of 283 protein remarkable expressions of A. niger after AEO treatment were found through protein omics. Further analysis showed that these differentially expressed proteins were mainly concentrated in the energy metabolism system of A. niger. AEO inhibits the growth of A. niger by blocking the synthetic pathway of NAD. In addition, A. niger activated additional energy production pathways, such as glycan metabolism, to compensate for its lack of energy after AEO treatment. Finally, shelf-life experiments showed that AEO extended the shelf life of bread to day 8. These results suggested that AEO can be used as an antifungal agent to prolong the shelf life of bread.