Antifungal activity of essential oil from fruits of Indian Cuminum cyminum.

The essential oil of fruits of Cuminum cyminum L. (Apiaceae), from India, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS, and its antifungal activity was tested on dermatophytes and phytopathogens, fungi, yeasts and some new Aspergilli. The most abundant components were cumin aldehyde, pinenes, and p-cymene, and a fraction of oxygenate compounds such as alcohol and epoxides. Because of the large amount of the highly volatile components in the cumin extract, we used a modified recent technique to evaluate the antifungal activity only of the volatile parts at doses from 5 to 20 microL of pure essential oil. Antifungal testing showed that Cuminum cyminum is active in general on all fungi but in particular on the dermatophytes, where Trichophyton rubrum was the most inhibited fungus also at the lowest dose of 5 microL. Less sensitive to treatment were the phytopathogens.