Eugenol and citral kills Aspergillus niger through the tricarboxylic acid cycle and its application in food preservation

Essential oil components have antifungal preservative effects, but are only effective individually at relatively high concentrations that can degrade the sensory quality of foods. Therefore, the synergistic antifungal mechanism of eugenol and citral (SEC) against Aspergillus niger was investigated in this paper. The preservative coupon containing the SEC was prepared and its application in bread preservation was evaluated. The SEC disrupted many aspects of A. niger structure and metabolism, especially mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA). The effects of SEC were strong enough to apparently induce cellular apoptosis, whereas those of eugenol and citral were not. The application experiment shows that the preservative coupon can significantly prolong the shelf life of bread. Compared with the control group, the shelf life of bread was extended by 6 days at 28 °C. At the same time, this method will not affect the sensory properties of bread products.