The results showed that bay leaf essential oil with a high content
in the oxygenated monoterpene 1,8-cineole has no significant
antifungal effect on the five pathogenic fungi isolated from rice
grains. The inhibitory effect of clove essential oil on mycelia growth
depends on the number of days, dose and fungus. The antifungal
activity of clove essential oil is mostly due to the presence of a high
amount of eugenol. At 100, 200 and 300 mg/mL, clove essential oil
(eugenol 88.58%) showed similar mycelia growth inhibition to the
recently approved antifungal compound eugenol against A. alternata.
In food clove essential oil at 600 mg/mL produced a significant
reduction of up to 85e90% for 20 days. The addition of clove
essential oil can provide an alternative to chemical preservatives for
controlling the fungi in stored rice grains, thus extending their shelf
life. Further formulation and field experiments are necessary to
corroborate this target and also should be extended to rice-derived
products