Study on antimicrobial activity of essential oils of dried apricots

Changes of the microbiological content on ‘Xiao Bai' dried apricot during storage were investigated. Three fungal species were separated from dried apricot, and they were identified as Rhizopus, Alternaria and Penicillium. The results of the antibacterial activity of nine essential oils showed that cinnamon, bay and fennel essential oils had significant antiseptic effect on microbe of dried apricot. Furthermore, three essential oils were used to inhibit the main fungus from dried apricots, the diameter of inhibition cycle and minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) were determined. The overall results indicated that cinnamon, bay and fennel essential oils had significant inhibitory effect on fungi from dried apricot compared with Kanamycin. The order of inhibitory effect was studied as follows:cinnamon>bay>fennel. Cinnamon oil could be used in dried apricots as antifungal agents to prolong the shelf life.