Antifungal activity of olive leaf (Olea Europaea L.) extracts from the Trilye Region of Turkey

Antimicrobial properties of olive leaf extract on some yeast were examined in this study. Fresh olive leaf extracts were prepared using various solvents (water, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate) in Soxhlet apparatus. Antimicrobial effects of these extracts were tested against Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomyces uvarum, Candida oleophila, Metschnikowia fructicola and Kloeckera apiculata. The antifungal activities of these extracts were tested by the disc diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). All extracts showed various degrees of antifungal effects with 10-28 mu g/ml MIC, 20-48 mu g/ml MFC and 1.5-9.3 mm inhibitory zone values against yeasts utilised, except water. The results indicated that the tested yeasts were sensitive to acetone and ethyl acetate extracts. It was determined that Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 9763 was the most resistant among the yeasts.