Isolation and identification of phenolic compounds from Eugenia caryophyllus and study on its biological effect against Macrophomina phaseolina

Clove is one of the oldest and most famous spices. Its seeds resemble nails. It is used in medicinal fields, but its fungicidal activity is unknown. The aim of the study was to test the inhibitory activity of phenolic extracts of cloves against the pathogenic fungus Macrophomina phaseolina.    The research was conducted under laboratory conditions to test the inhibitory ability of Eugenia caryophyllus phenolic extracts on the fungus M. phaseolina, which was partially diagnosed on strawberry plants based on Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, in addition to its morphological and microscopic characteristics. The active compounds present The active compounds (Chlorogenic acid, Qurcetine, Gallic acid, Apigenin, Caffeic acid, Ferulic acid, Kaempferol, Rutin, Catechine) present in the extract of Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS) separated from cloves were determined using High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). and active compounds of IMS phenols) Qurcetine, Apigenin, Ferulic acid, Kaempferol. (The inhibitory effect of phenols extracted from E. caryophyllus against M. phaseolina was tested. The results showed that the acetone extract and acetone phenols, which were used at concentrations of 10 and 15 mg/ml in PDA medium, had a significant effect on the growth of the fungus by 100%, as these fungi failed to grow. Formation of spores on Peptone dextrose medium (PDA) medium. While the percentage of inhibition of acetone phenols was 25% at a concentration of 5 mg/ml. As for the IMS extract and IMS phenols, it had a significant effect on the growth of the fungus at all concentrations used, but with different inhibition ratios, which increased directly with increasing concentration of the extract.

Antifungal synergic activity of essential olive oil and alcoholic turmeric extracts against isolates from the dried grapes raisins

Fungi are responsible for a wide variety of harm to humans, including food spoilage and infections. Using chemicals to restrict fungal development or infections has negative repercussions, such as human health dangers from the chemical applications and rising antifungal-drug resistance, so this study aimed to use medicinal plants and their extracts as an alternative method to restrict fungal growth. Ten isolates of the genus Aspergillus were identified from the fruits of dried grapes (raisins) of all kinds (Iraqi black raisins, Iranian yellow raisins, and brown raisins) at the species level using three – differential media: Czapek Yeast Extract Agar( CYA), Malt Extract Agar( MEA), and 25% Glycerol nitrate agar (G25N) incubated in 5, 25 and 37 ºC. Aspergillus niger was the most common isolated species. The number of A. niger isolates reached seven from all types of dried grapes, while A. flavus recorded three isolates from black raisins and brown raisins. Aspergillus Flavus Parasiticus Agar (AFPA) was used to detect the ability of A. flavus isolates to produce aflatoxin at 25-30 ºC for one week. Alcoholic extract of turmeric showed a significant inhibitory effect on the colony diameter of both A. flavus and A. niger isolated from the fruit of Iraqi black raisins with an inhibition rate of 86.6% and 68.8 %, respectively, at 4 mg/ ml concentration. The mixture of turmeric and essential olive oil gave a distinct inhibitory effect, reaching a 100% inhibition rate from the lowest to highest concentration for both A. niger and A. flavus