Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Aaronsohnia pubescens essential oil from Algeria.

In the present study, the chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the aerial parts of Aaronsohnia pubescens (Desf.) K.Bremer & Humphries (Asteraceae), a chamomile-like medicinal plant, was studied. Using both GC-MS and GC-FID methods, 58 volatile compounds could be identified representing 96.6% of the total essential oil composition. The main compounds in the essential oil were monoterpene hydrocarbons such as (Z)-β-ocimene (53.8%), myrcene (15.2%) and α-pinene (7.7%). Moreover, the essential oil of A. pubescens was tested for its antifungal activity against seven strains of phytopathogenic fungi , i.e. Aspergillus niger, A. flavus, Penicillium purpurogenum, P. jensenii, P. expansum, and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis, using the disc diffusion method. With the exception of P. jensenii, A. pubescens essential oil demonstrated a considerable antifungal activity against all tested strains. The present results confirm the traditional use of A. pubescens as a food preservative.