Antifungal Activity of Lactobacillus plantarum and Sage Extract on Aspergillus Fumigatus in Yogurt

Aspergillus fumigatus is a common fungus that causes dairy products contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro antifungal activity of Lactobacillus plantarum and sage extract on the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus in yogurt during 1, 7, & 14 days of storage at 4°C. Two different groups of yogurt samples were prepared. The first one consisted of the plain yogurt with L. plantarum + A. fumigatus (control), and sage yogurt with L. plantarum + A. fumigatus, and the second group contained plain yogurt + A. fumigatuss (control), and sage yogurt + A. fumigatus. Both groups were investigated for pH, total titratable acidity (TTA), viable cells counts of L. plantarum and inhibition of A. fumigatus growth during refrigerated storage. The pH values of all samples were decreased non-significantly (p>0.05) during storage whereas TTA ranged between 1.6% - 1.7% at the end of storage. The presence of sage in yogurt increased significantly (p<0.05) the viability of L. plantarum compared to control over one week of storage. Sage alone or in a combination with L. plantarum showed moderate growth inhibition of A. fumigatus in yogurt compared to their respective controls. L. plantarum and sage extract could be used as antifungal activity against A. fumigatus in yogurt