The effect of thymol and carvacrol rich-plant essential oils on controlling postharvest decay molds in orange fruit
From Firenze University Press Journal: Advances in Horticultural Science
L. Mokhtarnejad, Plant Protection Research Department, West Azarbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center
M. Farzanehj, Department of Agriculture, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University
Postharvest diseases of fruits are mainly caused by fungal species such as Botrytis spp., Colletotrichum spp., Aspergillus spp., Alternaria spp., Rhizopus spp. and Penicillium spp. (Agrios, 2005). The fruit decay caused by postharvest diseases is usually more than what is thought, because with the decrease in yield the price of damaged fruits (Wills and Golding, 2016). Citrus fruits, especially oranges, are among the fruits that are highly sensitive to fungal infections. The use of fungicides, such as benomyl, thiabendazole and imazalil, is the most common method of controlling postharvest decays of citrus fruits. These fungicides have health and environmental problems such as cumulative and carcinogenic properties in living organisms and acute or chronic poisoning effects. In addition, resistance to these fungicides is increasing in the population of pathogens (SharifiTehrani and Farzaneh, 2018). Anyway, the increase in global demand for providing sufficient and healthy food, based on health standards, along with the policies of the World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Environmental Protection Organization (EPO) has caused extensive research to be carried out. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the essential oils (EOs) of some medicinal plants are known as natural and healthy alternatives to chemical fungicides and are more acceptable to the public (Brun et al., 2003; Carvalho de Sousa et al., 2004; Nazzaro et al., 2017). EOs are volatile and natural complex compounds that are characterized by their sharp and strong smell and are formed as secondary metabolites in aromatic plants. Some EOs that have antiseptic properties (antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties) are used in food and pharmaceutical industries (Burt, 2004; Bolouri et al., 2022). In nature, EOs play an important role in protecting plants against bacteria, viruses, fungi and insects (Regnault Roger et al., 2012; Zitzelsberger and Buchbauer, 2015). They may also attract a number of insects to disperse pollen and seeds (Bakkali et al., 2008). Medicinal plant EOs not only have no side effects (at the right concentration), but due to their antioxidant properties, may increase the quality and storage time of fruits (Arras and Usai, 2001; Anthony et al., 2003; Plotto et al., 2003; Plaza et al., 2004). Research has shown that aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families are rich in antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds (Barroso and Ruberto, 1998; Farzaneh et al., 2006 a, b; Farzaneh et al., 2015). The antifungal property of EOs is also related to some of their compounds such as carvacrol, menthol, cymene, thymol, cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, pinene, and linalool, which are known as compounds with high antifungal effect (Cimanga et al., 2002). The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential of EOs of plants rich in thymol and carvacrol, such as Thymus danensis, Thymus vulgaris, Satureja hortensis, and Satureja khuzistanica in preventing rot and decay of orange fruit caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer and Penicillium digitatum.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ahsc-15659
Read Full Text: https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/ahs/article/view/15659
