2‐Hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzaldehyde inhibits the growth of Aspergillus flavus via damaging cell wall, cell membrane, manipulating respiration thus creating a promising antifungal effect on corn kernels

Summary This study investigated the antifungal activity and the potential antifungal mechanisms of 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxybenzaldehyde (HMB) against Aspergillus flavus ( A. flavus ). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of HMB in preventing spore germination was 70 μg mL −1 . HMB at MIC disrupted cell wall integrity by reducing the number of septa by 86.66% ( P < 0.05) in mycelia and increased cell membrane permeability by about 14‐fold ( P < 0.05) evidenced by propidium iodide (PI) staining. Furthermore, HMB at MIC inhibited respiration by 33.33%. These results revealed that the antifungal activity of HMB against A. flavus could be attributed to the damaged cell wall integrity, cell membrane permeability and respiration metabolism. What’s more, A. flavus was completely restrained in corn kernels due to HMB. Therefore, HMB could be applied as an effective antifungal agent.