Acaricidal activity of some essential oils and their constituents against Tyrophagus longior, a mite of stored food

Essential oils of four plants (two species of lavender, peppermint, and a eucalyptus) and some of their principal constituents, i.e., linalool, linalyl acetate, tenchone, menthone, menthol, and eucalyptol, were tested in vitro for their acaricidal activity against Tyrophagus longior, a mite species...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of food protection 1995-05, Vol.58 (5), p.560-563
Main Author: Perrucci, S. (Dipartimento di Patologia Animale Profilassied Igiene degli Alimenti, Pisa, Italy.)
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACARICIDAS
ACARICIDE
ACCION DE LOS PLAGUICIDAS
ACEITES ESENCIALES
ACTION DES PESTICIDES
ALIMENTOS
ALMACENAMIENTO
Biological and medical sciences
COMPOSICION QUIMICA
COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE
Food industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
HUILE ESSENTIELLE
Hygiene and safety
PRODUIT ALIMENTAIRE
STOCKAGE
TYROPHAGUS
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Summary:Essential oils of four plants (two species of lavender, peppermint, and a eucalyptus) and some of their principal constituents, i.e., linalool, linalyl acetate, tenchone, menthone, menthol, and eucalyptol, were tested in vitro for their acaricidal activity against Tyrophagus longior, a mite species that is a pest in stored food. Two different procedures were carried out to test the activity of these compounds by direct contact and by inhalation. In the direct contact assays five different quantities of each undiluted substance (6, 2, 1, 0.5, and 0.25 microliter) were spread on the internal surface of 6-cm petri dishes, each containing 10 mites. The activity by inhalation was tested using two petri dishes of different sizes: the smaller one (6 cm), containing 10 mites, was covered with a filter paper disk and enclosed in a bigger dish (9 cm) containing 6 oz 2 microliters of each undiluted substance. At the highest doses, the essential oils of the two lavender species and of peppermint killed 100% of the mites, both by direct contact and by inhalation. Eucalyptus oil was the least active. Among the essential oil constituents, menthol showed the highest activity, killing 100% of the mites at the lowest dose (0.25 microliters) by direct contact and at 6 microliters by inhalation. However, linalool, fenchone, and menthone also showed good acaricidal activity. Eucalyptol, like the essential oil of which it is the principal constituent, had the lowest activity
ISSN:0362-028X
1944-9097
DOI:10.4315/0362-028X-58.5.560