A new tecnique for the evaluation of antifungal activity of an alcohol extract of Eugenia caryophyllata Thunberg on Pennicillium digitatum

The purpose of the present work was to test the activity of an extract of cloves E. caryophyllata Thunberg using the phytopathogen Penicillium digitatum as test fungus and to identify which components are most likely responsible for its antifungal activity. This plant is well known from the phytochemical point of view and for its antibacterial, antifungine activity and other biological properties. To obtain results with this fungus that shows a very fast growth a new, more appropriate technique, counting the number of colonies formed within 48 hours, had to be set up. The extract and the pure standard eugenol were highly active, totally preventing fungal growth, even at the lowest doses, karyophyllene did not shown any effect.