Antifungal Activity of Volatile Oil of Mustard (VOM)

摘要

Volatile oil of mustard (VOM) is a volatile extract of mustard seed oil that has demonstrated antifungal and antibacterial activity in food items. The active volatile antimicrobial factor in VOM is allyl isothiocyanate (AIT). To evaluate the efficacy of VOM as a fungistatic agent, military-type sandwiches and commercial cheddar cheese samples were inoculated with several mold isolates (spot inoculated with approximately 10(exp 6) spores/ml) and yeast/mold cocktail (approximately 10(exp 4.5) spores/g), respectively. In the absence of VOM, with or without potassium sorbate (Ks), mold growth in the sandwiches occurred between 5 and 10 days at 25 deg C. However, at vapor concentrations of 300-500 ppm, VOM inhibited growth of several mold species on shelf-stable sandwiches for more than 100 days at 25 deg C. Yeast and mold growth in cheese samples packaged in meal, ready-to-eat (MRE) pouches were inhibited by 15-25 ppm VOM, but not when cheese samples were packaged in O2- permeable polyester film. This study demonstrated that VOM could be an effective fungistat in foods (e.g., sandwiches and cheese products), if an effective concentration was maintained over the food item.