Evaluation of Antifungal Activity of Some Plant Extracts and their Applicability in Extending the Shelf Life of Stored Tomato Fruits

Abstract

Ethanolic extracts of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis L) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) and the essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) were tested against many fungi including A.niger, A.flavus, Penicillium spp., Rhizopus spp. and fusarium spp. Oregano essential oil showed a very strong antifungal activity against Fuazarium spp. (MIC: 0.8 mg/ml), A.niger (MIC: <1 mg/ml) and Penicillium spp. (MIC: 4.5 mg/ml) whereas other fungi showed more resistant. The results showed that Rhizopus spp. was the most sensitive fungus to the plant extracts whereas rosemary was the most effective plant. Application of essential oils or ethanolic rosemary extract with different concentrations (100, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000 ppm) and refrigeration storage (at either 5 or 25°C) for postharvest spoilage control of tomatoes for 4 weeks showed that the combination of two treatments (refrigeration with either oregano essential oil or rosemary extract) was more effective to keep quality of tomatoes.

Fresh preservation of alfalfa sprouts and mushroom slices by soaking with thymol and resveratrol solutions

“…Thymol at >500 ppm was effective for alfalfa sprouts and thymol at >250 ppm was effective for mushroom slices. After soaking tomatoes in solution containing 100-200 ppm oregano essential oil and storing them at 25°C for 12 days or at 4°C for 1 month, effective mold growth control was achieved only through storage at 4°C (Ibrahim & Al-Ebady, 2014). Treatment with thymol at 200 ppm combined with 2%-5% SDS and 2000 ppm acetic acid was reported to result in an equivalent antibacterial effectiveness (>6.9 LR) to 400 ppm thymol or 200 ppm chlorine solution (Lu et al, 2014).…”

“…Treatment with thymol at 200 ppm combined with 2%-5% SDS and 2000 ppm acetic acid was reported to result in an equivalent antibacterial effectiveness (>6.9 LR) to 400 ppm thymol or 200 ppm chlorine solution (Lu et al, 2014). After soaking tomatoes in solution containing 100-200 ppm oregano essential oil and storing them at 25°C for 12 days or at 4°C for 1 month, effective mold growth control was achieved only through storage at 4°C (Ibrahim & Al-Ebady, 2014).…”

Fenugreek extract application improves plant performance of Alternaria solani infected tomato plants

“…Therefore, a high increment in application of plant extracts for suppressing fungal, bacterial and nematodes has been observed (Abdel-Monaim et al, 2011;Farooq et al, 2011). The application of these extracts led a significant contribution in modern agriculture thus lowering the risks of environmental pollution with negligible toxic residues (Riaz et al, 2010;Ibrahim and Ebady, 2014). The plant extracts play dual role in growth and development, either by enhancing plant immunity or owing to their regulatory role (Findura et al, 2020).…”

Natural Products to Control Postharvest Gray Mold of Tomato Fruit- Possible Mechanisms

“…Toward this end, antimicrobial characteristics of various plant extracts have been described for use in plant protection [8]. Many applications of substances, such as chitosan, extracts of Azadirachta indica seed, essential oils, medicinal plants, and mineral nutrients such as selenium, and borate have been investigated for control of postharvest fruit spoilage of fruit and several have been successfully applied [9][10][11][12].…”