In-vitro antifungal activity of chilli extracts in combination with Lactobacillus casei against common sapstain fungi

The efficacy of chilli juice and/or chilli (capsicum) extract oleoresins as antisapstain agents was evaluated against two common wood-discolouring fungi, Sphaeropsis sapinea and Leptographium procerum. Possible synergy between chilli juice and Lactobacillus casei as antisapstain agents was also assessed. Both the chilli juice and the capsicum oleoresin showed moderate antifungal activity. No growth of the test fungi was observed on plates amended with 50% chilli juice after 3 weeks of incubation. In the presence of 0.1% oleoresins, fungal biomass was reduced by more than half when compared with controls. The synergy between chilli and L. casei was apparent: the combination chilli/L. casei treatment system afforded much better inhibition than chilli or L. casei alone. In the presence of 25% chilli juice with L. casei the growth of test fungi was stopped. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.