O uso do eugenol como agente antimicrobiano para a agroindústria.

Abstract

Eugenol is part of the aromatic compounds within the class of phenylpropenes, being described as 4-allyl-2-methoxy-phenol, commonly known as clove essence, because it is present in large quantities in clove essential oil (Aromatic eugenia). It has several biological activities according to the literature, among which we can highlight: antifungal, antibacterial, antiparasitic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant activities, as well as others, such as action against phytopathogens and action in the fight against bacteria of large groups Gram-positive and Gram-negative and, therefore, their importance in the conservation of the foods with regard to the emergence of the microbes and their application in food as an additive in the packaging itself is proven. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the results of the literature on the antimicrobial activity of Eugenol and its importance in the high inhibitory potential of bacteria and fungi, as well as its mechanism of action and use. It is a review of the literature that consisted in describing the biological and chemical characteristics of Eugenol and the applications in the technologies and the conservation of the foods with antibacterial action in the agroindustry. According to the literature consulted, Eugenol was able to strongly inhibit the growth of this fungus around 19.16 to 95.83%; in a manner dependent on the dose of Eugenol used. The production of aflatoxin B1 was also inhibited by about 15.07 to 98.0% by the compound. Gene expression was significantly suppressed by Eugenol at concentrations of 62.5 and 125 μg / mL. The results indicated that Eugenol can be considered as a good alternative to control the growth of toxigenic fungi and subsequent contamination in food, such as feeds and agricultural products contaminated with aflatoxins. As regards technological aspects, Eugenol is also active against preformed biofilms and acts to prevent the formation of new biofilms of C. albicans, suggesting its efficacy against the adaptive mechanisms of resistance exhibited by biofilms of this species against synthetic antibiotics such as amphotericin B and fluconazole and in relation to the mechanism of action of Eugenol has a mode of action similar to fluconazole, inhibiting ergosterol biosynthesis. They also observed that while fluconazole exhibits fungistatic action, Eugenol exerts fungicidal activity against several species of Candida (C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei and C. glabrata), even against fluconazole resistant isolates. In addition, they found that Eugenol is significantly less cytotoxic than the antifungal agents available for clinical use. It was concluded that Eugenol has a bactericidal effect on both gram positive and gram negative bacteria, due to the disintegration of the microbial cell membrane structure, as well as the extravasation of cytoplasmic constituents.