IN VITRO CHARACTERIZATION OF ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF SELECTED ESSENTIAL OILS

Antifungal activity of seven essential oils was studied primarily against C. albicans and E. floccosum. Four essential oils viz. turmeric, palmarosa, lemongrass and citronella, that revealed better antifungal activities during screening, were characterized further. Minimum Inhibitory concentration (MIC) and phenol coefficient values of the oils ranged between 0.97 to 62.5 µl/ml and 0125 to 0.75 respectively. The oils retained the antifungal activities when treated at high temperature (1000 C for 1h) and pressure (autoclaved), indicating presence of thermostable and barostable active components in them. The oils also resisted sonication (33,000Hz for 30min) and revealed antifungal activities against the two pathogens. Immediate killing of E. floccosum, is attributable to an irreversible damage to the cells. Antifungal activity of these oils as recorded during the study, could be attributable to the membrane inhibition mechanism and was observed to be fungicidal in nature.