Fungi in medicinal herbs from Serbia and their chemical and physical desinfection

Abstract

Medicinal herbs are increasingly used as a "natural" method of treatment. The maximum number of total molds and yeasts in pharmaceutical preparations is prescribed. The presence of mold is not advisable due to possible production of mycotoxins. The literature has not recorded a lot of research on the subject tests mycoflora herbs in Serbia. This paper provides results of fungi analysis in seven different plant species (Thymus serpyllum, Matricaria camomilla, Achillea millefolium, Hypericum perforatum, Urtica dioica, Salvia officinalis, and Mentha piperita) from three locations in Serbia traditionally used in the treatment. In order to test an effective method of disinfecting medicinal herbs, the samples were analyzed without prior disinfection, after disinfection with ethanol, and after the application of UV radiation. After analyzing a total of 960 plant parts, nine fungi genera were identified. The results showed that samples originating from the eastern (Stara/Suva planina) and western Serbia (Zlatibor) were contaminated with different types of fungi (Fusarium sp., Mucor sp., Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Alternaria sp.), while the samples from eastern and northern Serbia (Orom) are mutually similar to the type of contamination (Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., and Mucor sp.). Between samples collected from nature (Zlatibor and Stara/Suva planina) and organic production samples (Orom) there was no significant difference in the frequency of contamination. Applied chemical disinfection has proven effective for genera Fusarium and Penicillium, while UV radiation was more effective for mold genus Alternaria and Mucor. Due to the obtained results, further tests are necessary in order to determine whether fungi can produce mycotoxins in conditions of breeding, climate, storage, and transport in Serbia