The new study, published in Food Research International, suggests that the natural plant product could provide an alternative method to protect crops and food products from potentially toxic forms of fungi and aflatoxins.
Led by Kasi Murugan from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, the research team said their results demonstrate that the curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) extracts are efficient natural inhibitors of growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis.
“M. koenigii extracts may be a prominent natural preservative source for culinary oil which can successfully replace synthetic food preservative chemicals in future,” said the authors.
“The obtained result suggests that M. koenigii phytochemicals can provide an alternative method to protect them from the storage aflatoxigenic fungi and detoxify the difficult to remove natural mycotoxins.”
Murugan and his team noted that the ‘already validated’ health benefits of curry leaf extract, in addition to its presently reported antifungal activities means that M. koenigii has great potential for the development of natural food preservatives.
“Thus, the extracts antiaflatoxigenic comparative studies and the active ingredients identification are of major interest.”
Source: Food Research International
Volume 52, Issue 1, June 2013, Pages 8–16, doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2013.02.001
“Antiaflatoxigenic food additive potential of Murraya koenigii: Anin vitro and molecular interaction study”
Authors: Kasi Murugan, K. Anandaraj, Saleh Al-Sohaibani