Biocontrol of postharvest fungal decay of tomatoes with a combination of thymol and salicylic acid screening from 11 natural agents

To control the decay of fresh vegetables or fruits after harvest and overcome higher costs using a natural agent, synergistic antifungal effects were studied in tomatoes and their main decay fungi Fusarium solani and Rhizopus stolonifer. After screening 56 groups with a checkerboard method based on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Food science & technology 2016-10, Vol.72, p.215-222
Main Authors: Kong, Jie, Xie, Yun-Fei, Guo, Ya-Hui, Cheng, Yu-Liang, Qian, He, Yao, Wei-Rong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antifungal activity
Fusarium solani
Lycopersicon esculentum
Rhizopus stolonifer
Salicylic acid
Synergistic effect
Thymol
Tomato
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Summary:To control the decay of fresh vegetables or fruits after harvest and overcome higher costs using a natural agent, synergistic antifungal effects were studied in tomatoes and their main decay fungi Fusarium solani and Rhizopus stolonifer. After screening 56 groups with a checkerboard method based on 11 natural agents, only one combination of thymol and salicylic acid (STSA) had a synergistic effect on both fungi. Their average minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values decreased significantly to 0.43 fold compared with the single agents tested. Their mycelial growth was completely inhibited; the inhibition rates of spore germination exceeded 96% at 0.5, 1, and 2 MIC. The protective and therapeutic effects were found to be dose-dependent during exposure; the former was always better than the latter against both fungi at any tested concentration in wound-inoculated tomatoes, and phytotoxicity occurred only when the concentration of STSA reached 2 MIC in naturally stored fruit. Consumer evaluation showed that the natural, non-inoculated tomatoes treated with 1 MIC and the wound-inoculated tomatoes treated with 2 MIC were both acceptable. The in vitro and in vivo results show that a combination of thymol and salicylic acid could be developed as a control measure and could reduce costs. •The combination of thymol and salicylic acid had a synergistic effect on both fungi.•STSA effectively inhibited spore germination and mycelial growth.•Exposure to STSA showed protective and therapeutic effects in a dose-dependent manner.•Sensory evaluation showed practical efficacy of STSA as fungistat in tomatoes.
ISSN:0023-6438
1096-1127
DOI:10.1016/j.lwt.2016.04.020