A novel method to estimate the contribution of the vapor activity of essential oils in agar diffusion assay.

By the combined use of agar diffusion, agar vapor and agar vapor-inhibitory assays, contribution of the vapor activity of essential oils was quantitatively estimated. The test organisms were Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus fumigatus. Agar vapor assay was used to confirm the vapor activity of the oils. The parameter delta defined as a contribution index of the vapor activity was calculated by (1 - b-c/a-c) x 100, where a is inhibitory diameter in the diffusion assay, b is inhibitory diameter in the vapor-inhibitory assay and c is diameter of the sealed ring in the vapor-inhibitory assay (21 mm). Many of the essential oils examined showed a delta value near 100, thus providing the major contribution of the vapor activity to the inhibitory diameter. Essential oils containing aldehyde as major constituent showed low delta value, indicating the major inhibition was due to agar diffusion. Major essential oil components behaved similarly; the delta value was increased in the following order: aldehyde < phenol < alcohol < ester, oxide, hydrocarbon, indicating the enhanced contribution of the vapor activity in that order.