Abstract
Background:
Oregano essential oil (EO) was incorporated into film-forming dispersions (FFDs) based on biopolymers (chitosan and/or methylcellulose) at two different concentrations. The effect of the application of the FFDs was evaluated on tomato plants (cultivar Micro-Tom) at three different stages of development, and on pre-harvest and postharvest applications on tomato fruit.
Results:
The application of the FFDs at '3 Leaves' stage caused phytotoxic problems, which were lethal when the EO was applied without biopolymers. Even though plant growth and development were delayed, the total biomass and the crop yield were not affected by biopolymer-EO treatments. When the FFDs were applied in the 'Fruit' stage the pre-harvest application of FFDs had no negative effects. All FFDs containing EO significantly reduced the respiration rate of tomato fruit and diminished weight loss during storage. Moreover, biopolymer-EO FFDs led to a decrease in the fungal decay of tomato fruit inoculated with Rhizopus stolonifer spores, as compared with non-treated tomato fruit and those coated with FFDs without EO.
Conclusion:
The application of biopolymer-oregano essential oil coatings has been proven to be an effective treatment to control R. stolonifer in tomato fruit. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
Keywords:
chitosan; coating; decay; methylcellulose; postharvest; pre-harvest.
© 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
MeSH terms
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Biopolymers / adverse effects
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Biopolymers / chemistry*
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Cell Respiration
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Chitosan / adverse effects
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Chitosan / chemistry
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Crop Protection*
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Crops, Agricultural / chemistry
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Crops, Agricultural / growth & development
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Crops, Agricultural / microbiology
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Emulsions
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Flowers / chemistry
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Flowers / growth & development
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Flowers / metabolism
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Flowers / microbiology
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Food Preservation*
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Food Quality
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Food Storage
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Fruit / chemistry*
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Fruit / growth & development
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Fruit / metabolism
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Fruit / microbiology
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Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
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Methylcellulose / adverse effects
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Methylcellulose / chemistry
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Microbial Viability
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Oils, Volatile / adverse effects
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Oils, Volatile / chemistry*
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Origanum / adverse effects
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Origanum / chemistry*
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Pigments, Biological / analysis
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Pigments, Biological / biosynthesis
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Plant Leaves / chemistry
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Plant Leaves / growth & development
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Plant Leaves / metabolism
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Plant Leaves / microbiology
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Plant Oils / adverse effects
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Plant Oils / chemistry*
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Rhizopus / growth & development
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Rhizopus / isolation & purification
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Rhizopus / physiology
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Solanum lycopersicum / chemistry*
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Solanum lycopersicum / growth & development
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Solanum lycopersicum / metabolism
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Solanum lycopersicum / microbiology
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Spores, Fungal / growth & development
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Spores, Fungal / isolation & purification
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Spores, Fungal / physiology
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Surface Properties
Substances
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Biopolymers
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Emulsions
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Oils, Volatile
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Pigments, Biological
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Plant Oils
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Methylcellulose
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Chitosan