Plant essential oils against food borne fungi and mycotoxins

In past two decades, essential oils (EOs) based formulations have shown excellent potential against food borne molds and associated mycotoxins and may successfully replace synthetic preservatives, offering, an eco-chemical and safer approach to protect food commodities from fungal contamination and subsequent mycotoxin production. A number of EO based food preservatives viz. Sporan TM, Promax (TM), 'DMC Base Natural', EcoPCOR, EcoTrol are commercially used and listed in 'Generally Recognized as Safe' category. EOs easily pass through plasma membrane causing partition in the lipids of fungal cell membrane, making it permeable for leakage of cell contents. EOs decline biosynthesis of ergosterol, the fungal specific sterol, proving their biorational mode of action. They can be economically used as fumigant in storage system.