Synergistic antimicrobial activities of essential oil vapours against Penicillium corylophilum on a laboratory medium and beef jerky

Abstract This study was done to determine the antifungal activities of essential oil (EO) vapours of 97 plants against Penicillium corylophilum and to test combinations of EO vapours for synergistic antifungal effects. Among 97 commercially available EOs extracted from plant parts, garlic, cinnamon bark, may chang (mountain pepper), citronella, thyme thymol, oregano, spearmint, and thyme linalool EO vapours exhibited relatively strong antifungal activities. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of these EO vapours were 0.0390–0.6250 μL/mL. A combination of cinnamon bark, citronella, and may chang EO vapours, as well as a combination of cinnamon bark and citronella EO vapours, showed synergistic inhibitory activities to P. corylophilum on a laboratory medium. A combination of cinnamon bark, citronella, and may chang EO vapours had synergistic activity in inhibiting growth of P. corylophilium on beef jerky. Observations reported here provide basic information valuable when developing strategies to inhibit the growth of P. corylophilum and possibly other moderately xerophilic molds on intermediate-moisture foods.