Antifungal properties of clove oil (Eugenia caryophylata) in sugar solution

• Main Authors: Núñez Lidia, D'Aquino Miguel, Chirife Jorge
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia 2001-01-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Microbiology
• Subjects: clove oil; fungicide; disinfectant; sugar
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1517-83822001000200010

The effect of temperature, concentration and contact time on the fungicidal effect of clove oleoresin dispersed in a concentrated sugar solution at 21 and 37ºC, and clove oleoresin at 0.2 to 0.8% (v/v) was studied. The test microorganisms were Candida albicans, Penicillium citrinum, Aspergillus niger and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The fungicidal effect was enhanced at 37ºC; at this temperature short contact times (e.g. 1 min.) were enough to eliminate a microbial inoculum of 10(6) c.f.u./ml of C. albicans. Although clove oleoresin caused important lethal effect, P. citrinum and A. niger were more resistant. After 60 minutes, clove oleoresin dispersed (0.4% v/v) in concentrated sugar solution caused a 99.6% reduction of the initial population (10(6) c.f.u./ml) of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The fungicidal activity of clove-sugar on C. albicans, after 2 min contact, was similar to that presented by disinfectants commonly used in hospitals, such as povidone-iodine and chloroxylenol.