Assessment of the antifungal activity of spirulina platensis phenolic extract against aspergillus flavus

Abstract

The production of safe food has stimulated the search for natural substances that possess antifungal activity. The indirect methods of estimating fungal biomass are based on the measurement of glucosamine, ergosterol and protein - typical compounds produced during the development of biomass. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the phenolic extract from Spirulina platensis on the production of structural compounds in Aspergillus flavus, in order to identify its action on fungal inhibition. The Spirulina platensis methanolic extracts presented 1.15 mg phenolic compound/g Spirulina platensis, which showed an antifungal effect against Aspergillus flavus, inhibiting the glucosamine production up to 56%. Therefore, it may be employed as natural defense when food protection is necessary.