Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Chemically characterized Apluda mutica L. (Poaceae) essential oil: a novel antifungal, aflatoxin suppressor and antioxidant
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Kumar Ashok, Shukla Ravindra, Prakash Bhanu, Kumari Sanyogita, Dubey Nawal Kishore
Research Article | Published: 29 August, 2026
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Keywords: n Apluda mutican , n Aspergillus flavusn , Aflatoxin, Antioxidant, Essential oil, GC–MS
Abstract
The study investigates evaluation of Apluda mutica essential oil (EO) for its antifungal, antiaflatoxigenic and antioxidant properties. The aflatoxin inhibitory potential of A. mutica EO in this study is reported for the first time. A. mutica EO’s GC–MS analysis exhibited 42 constituents in which a naturally occurring terpenoid E-Citral (72.36%) was identified as major component. A. mutica EO exhibited a broad fungitoxic spectrum against 14 fungal species with MIC less than 1.0 mg/mL showed its superiority over carbendazim and mencozeb while inferior to SAAF. A. mutica EO revealed potent antiaflatoxigenic activity against a toxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus DDU7 and completely inhibited the mycelial growth of aflatoxin B1 production at 0.5 and 0.3 mg/mL respectively. The antioxidant potential (IC50 8.8 ?g/mL) of A. mutica EO was also found comparable to ascorbic acid (5.7 ?g/mL), revealed superiority over butylated hydroxytouene (13.4 ?g/mL) and butylated hydroxyanisole (11.4 ?g/mL). The results highlight the unique qualities of A. mutica EO, including its E-citral chemotype, broad spectrum fungitoxicity, remarkable aflatoxin inhibition and potent antioxidant activity. Overall, A. mutica EO represents a valuable natural resource as phytopreservative with these qualities to make it an effective, renewable and eco-friendly component of integrated and post-harvest management strategies for extending the shelf life of agricultural commodities during processing and storage.
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Author Information
Mycotoxin and Botanical Pesticide Laboratory, Department of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, India