Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of Essential Oil from Brazilian Propolis

The essential oil from Brazilian propolis was isolated by hydrodistillation in a yield of 0.04 %. Twenty-five compounds were identified by GC-MS and calculation of their Kovats indexes. The most abundant essential oil components were alpha-pinene (18.3 %), beta-pinene (6.5 %), germacrene D (6.4 %) and delta-cadinene (7.0 %). Additionally, the antifungal potential of crude oil was evaluated using a bioautographic assay. The minimal amount required to inhibit the growth of fungi Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum assay was determined as 5.0 mu g, in comparison to positive control nystatin (1.0 mu g) and miconazole (1.0 mu g).