Antifungals from Zuccagnia punctata: potential of chemosensitization of antimicotic activity of food grade preservatives

JIMÉNEZ, C.M.; SAMPIETRO, D.A.; SGARIGILA, M.A.; SOBERÓN , J.R.; VATTUONE, M.A.

Horco Molle, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina

Congreso; XXXI ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING - TUCUMAN BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION; 2014

TUCUMAN BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION

The use of food preservatives offers difficulties in the food industry including undesirable effects on microbial processes involved in food production and alterations in sensorial characteristics of food products. For this reason, its use and doses must be reduced. The aim of this work was to evaluate the joint action of leaf chalcones from Z. punctata on growth of Fusarium species. Ethanolic extracts from leaves of Z. punctata were partitioned with diethyl ether. The ethereal extract was fractionated by column chromatography in silica gel. The chalcones were detected in the fractions eluted and analyzed by TLC and visualization with NP/PEG+UV-365 nm. Purification was completed with HPLC, and identification was confirmed with GC-MS and UV-VIS spectra (200-600 nm). The bioactivity of the chalcones alone and in mixtures with salts of organic acids (sodium sorbate, calcium propionate and sodium benzoate) was determined by the chessboard assay on F. graminearum sensu stricto and F. verticilllioides. The LC50 of chalcones and their binary mixtures with the xenobiotics was determined in lethality test of Artemia salina. The 2´,4´-dihydroxychalcone (DC) and 2´,4´-dihydroxy-3´-methoxychalcone (DMC) were purified from the leaves. Both chalcones showed synergic interactions with the salts of organic acids. Nevertheless, the highest sinergistic activity was obtained for DMC. The binary mixtures synergistic were not toxic. The chalcones potentiated the antifungal effect of the food preservants on Fusarium, indicating that they exerted different antifungal mechanisms from those of the xenobiotics. The absence of toxicity of the mixtures suggests that the chalcones can be used as additives of the salts of organic acids in foods, a situation that allows to reduce the doses of these xenobiotics required to inhibit Fusarium.