title: In vitro antifungal activity of dehydrozingerone and its fungitoxic properties.
abstract: The efficacy of Dehydrozingerone (DZ; dehydroderivative of zingerone) as an antifungal agent and its mode of action against food spoilage fungal pathogens was studied and presented. DZ is a constituent of ginger (Zingiber officinale rhizomes) and structural half analogue of curcumin. Its efficacy against Aspergillus oryzae, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus ochraceus, Fusarium oxysporum and Penicillium chrysogenum was evaluated. Effect of DZ on the growth and sporulation of A. ochraceus was also studied. The fungal species were susceptible to DZ and the minimum inhibitory concentration and fungicidal concentration ranged from 755 to 911 μM and 880 to 1041 μM respectively. The mycelial and spore germination was significantly inhibited; reduction in the weight of the cell mass, carbohydrate, protein, DNA and RNA constituents in the cells isolated from cultures of A. ochraceus grown with DZ were observed. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed morphological observations such as cell lysis, inhibition and morphological alterations in hyphae and sporulation in A. ochraceus on treatment with DZ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current investigations revealed that DZ is a potential antifungal agent and can find application as an additive or adjuvant in food and pharmaceutical industries after appropriate toxicological studies.
authors.affiliation: Plantation Products, Spices and Flavour Technology Department, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore-570020, India.
authors.forename: I Rahath
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Kubra
authors.forename: Pushpa S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: L Jagan Mohan
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001234:Aspergillus niger / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D020939:Zingiber officinale / Q000737:chemistry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010408:Penicillium chrysogenum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D013343:Styrenes / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D013343:Styrenes; C052933:methyl-3-methoxy-4-hydroxystyryl ketone