Effect of sealing and Tween 80 on the antifungal susceptibility testing of essential oils.

Concentrations of essential oils showing high volatility decreased substantially in broth and agar media when incubated under open conditions. The decrease in the half life was from 0.7 to 38 hr in broth medium at 27 C. When evaporation was prevented by sealing, MIC values against Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans and Trichophyton mentagrophytes by broth or agar dilution assay were lowered two to eight-fold, as compared with those obtained under open conditions. Addition of Tween 80 caused a rise of the MICs against A. fumigatus by two to four-fold in broth dilution assay, but little affected the MICs in agar dilution assay.