Effect of the antifungal activity of oxygenated aromatic essential oil compounds on the white-rot Trametes versicolor and the brown-rot Coniophora puteana

Essential oils and their constituents have a long history of applications as antimicrobial agents, but their use as wood preservatives has not yet been reported. In this study, 22 essential oil phenols, phenol ethers, and aromatic aldehydes have been tested for their antifungal activity against the wood-decaying fungi Trametes versicolor and Coniophora puteana. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of the selected compounds added to potato dextrose agar (PDA) in defined concentrations were determined by a screening test with the agar dilution method. A significant difference in the tolerance of the tested fungi towards the selected compounds was discovered and attributed to the differences in their metabolic characteristics. The influence of the chemical structure of the tested essential oil compounds on their antifungal activity is also discussed.