Antifungal activity of selected essential oils against fungi isolated from medicinal plant

The development of protective products with natural origin as alternatives to synthetic fungicides is currently in the spotlight. Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of 16 selected essential oils was determined. Then, antifungal properties determined by in vitro microdilution method against 21 fungi isolated from herbal drugs were evaluated. All tested oils showed some antifungal activity against all fungi used. Savory, thyme and oregano oils, characterized by the presence of phenol such as carvacrol and thymol, and rose oil containing mainly monoterpene alcohols (citronellol and geraniol) proved to be the most effective inhibitor of all fungi tested. Also, combination of particular oils showed reduction of the MIC values when combined, commendatory mixtures for potential application in practice. Moreover, the reduction of the total number of fungi, in situ, using selected essential oils was determined.