In Vitro Determination of the Antifungal Activity of Artemisia campestris Essential Oil from Algeria.

The chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from the aerial parts ofArtemisia campestrisfrom Algeria and its antifungal activity against 10 filamentous fungal strains were investigated. TheA. campestrisessential oil was obtained in a yield of 0.71% (v/w). The major constituents of the oil were α-pinene (18.65%), β-pinene (16.78%), β-myrcene (17.34%), and germacrene D (10.34%). Our study showed thatA. campestrisessential oil was a potent antifungal agent against some pathogenic fungal species.Fusarium graminearumwas the most sensitive strain toA. campestrisessential oil with minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal fungicidal concentration values of 1.25 µL/mL (v/v). The essential oil also exhibited a strong fungicidal activity against the tested fungi, except forPenicillium citrinum, P. viridicatum, andAspergillus niger(MFC >20 µL/mL). Our findings suggested the application ofA. campestrisessential oil as a biofungicide in order to reduce the dependence on synthetic fungicides and ensure food safety and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]