Antifungal efficiency of essential oils and crude sophorolipids against the growth of filamentous fungal isolated from moldy clothes and leathery products

Abstract

This study was emphasized to determine the efficiencies of three essential oils (cassia oil of Cassia fistula, clove oil of Syzygium aromaticum and lemongrass oil of Cymbopogon schoenanthus) and crude biosurfactant produced by Starmerella bombicola BCC5426 for inhibition of fungal 6 isolates from moldy clothes and synthetic leathers. Agar well diffusion method used for testing the antifungal compounds in fabric softener. The results showed that cassia essential oils at concentration of 100 mg/ml gave the highest antifungal activities and followed by clove and lemongrass essential oils, respectively. They performed the inhibition zone of Aspergillus sp. were 44.7 +- 0.6, 34.3 +- 0.6 and 23.0 +- 1.5 mm., respectively. On the other hand, sophorolipids biosurfactant at only concentration of 2 mg/ml inhibited Aspergillus sp. with clear zone 14.0 +-0.6 mm. When the mixed agent of cassia essential oils and sophorolipids (ratio 50:1) in fabric softener was tested, it displayed inhibition zone against Aspergillus sp. at 52.0 +-0 mm. but no antifungal activities of negative control. When fabric softener containing cassia oil and sophorolipids was 10-times diluted with water and applied on cotton fabrics, they were determined to inhibit the growth of fungi on the fabric by counting the number of colonies from the Total Plate Count. They found no fungal growth of Aspergillus sp. on day 1-4 and showed antifungal propertied on day 7 at 92.72%. This study provided the evidences and potential of cassia essential oils and sophorolipids could be applied as antifungal agent in a cleaning agent and products used for leather and clothing.