In vitro Antifungal Activity of Mentha piperita and Thymus vulgaris Essential Oils against Ochratoxigenic Aspergillus carbonarius Isolated from Bozcaada Çavuş Grape

In this study, the antifungal properties of Mentha piperita and Thymus vulgaris essential oils against an isolate of ochratoxin A producer, Aspergillus carbonarius, isolated from Bozcaada Çavuş grape, were evaluated in three steps. By GC-MS of M. piperita and T. vulgaris essential oils, the main components were determined to be menthol (39.911%) and carvacrol (49.042%). Antifungal activity was first evaluated by the agar well diffusion method, and it was determined that the tested essential oils completely inhibited the growth of A. carbonarius and were as effective as fluconazole antifungal. In the second step, the MIC and MFC values of the tested essential oils were determined; both values were 1 µL mL-1. Finally, it was determined that M. piperita and T. vulgaris essential oils completely inhibited the radial growth of A. carbonarius at the MIC value. These results show that M. piperita and T. vulgaris essential oils may be a good strategy to control ochratoxigenic A. carbonarius contamination.