Inhibitory effects of cinnamon and clove essential oils on mold growth on baked foods

This study evaluated the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and minimum lethal concentration (MLC) of cinnamon and clove essential oils against mold growth on green bean cake and finger citron crisp cake, and also examined the effects of these two essential oils and their application methods on the shelf life of the baked products in normal and vacuum packages by accelerated storage test. The results showed that the MIC of cinnamon and clove essential oils against molds were 0.21-0.83 and 0.21-1.67 mu L/mL, respectively and the MLC were 0.42-0.83 and 0.83-1.67 mu L/mL, respectively. In normal package cinnamon and clove essential oils could prolong the shelf life of green bean cake 9-10 and 3-4 days, respectively and could prolong the shelf life of finger citron crisp cake 5-6 and 2-3 days, respectively. And in vacuum package they were 15-16, 8-9, 10-12 and 7-9 days, respectively in turn.