The Journal of

Introduction: Aflatoxins are the most common and dangerous mycotoxins produced by species of Aspergillus and penicillium grow on a wide range of human and animal food. This group of mycotoxins has disorder and risks, including the induction of liver cancer. According to disadvantages for several physical and chemical methods, there are recently great deals of interest in the use of herbal extracts for control of fungal growth and aflatoxin contamination on food. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract on growth inhibition of aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus on Almonds' kernel.

Methods: In current experimental lab-trial study almond kernel samples were randomly selected for study. Almond kernel samples were firstly immersed in edible coating containing 3% hydro-alcoholic of Cinnamomum zeylanicum extract and then contaminated with 1×10³ aflatoxin producer A. flavus conidial suspensions. The extracts' inhibitory properties were evaluated using with enumeration of viable and cultivable fungal conidia on almond washing solutions. Finally MFC and MIC₅₀ values of herbal extracts were measured by preparing of their serial dilutions that contaminated with fungal conidial suspensions using CLSI standard broth dilution method.

Results: In general, the macroscopic observation of Almond kernel treated with edible coating of 3% Cinnamomum zeylanicum extracts showed full control of fungal growth. Statistical T test showed significant differences between the mean isolated colonies from culture of   washing solutions from test and control samples (P= 0.0001). The MFC and MIC₅₀ values value for Cinnamomum extract was concentration of 187 and 94 mg/100 respectively.        

Conclusion: Results of present study showed that edible coating of Cinnamomum extracts was been effective in controlling of A. flavus colonization on Almond kernels. However, the practical uses of these extracts require more, antimicrobial, toxicology and economic studies.