Potential of chitosan coating in delaying the postharvest anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz.) of Eksotika II papaya

The in vitro and in vivo fungicidal activity of chitosan was studied against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, the causal agent of anthracnose in papaya fruits. Chitosan at 1.5% and 2.0% concentrations showed a fungistatic effect with 90–100% inhibition (significant at P ≤ 0.05) of the fungal mycelial growth. Changes in the conidial morphology were also observed with the higher chitosan concentrations after 7-h incubation. In vivo studies showed that 1.5% and 2.0% chitosan coatings on papaya not only controlled the fruit decay but also delayed the onset of disease symptoms by 3–4 weeks during 5 weeks storage at 12 ± 1°C and slowed down the subsequent disease development. However, when leaving the fruits to ripen at ambient temperature (28 ± 2°C), 2.0% chitosan was less effective than 1.5% in controlling the disease development. Chitosan coatings also delayed the ripening process by maintaining the firmness levels, soluble solids concentration and titratable acidity values during and after storage

Effect on tomato plant and fruit of the application of biopolymer¿oregano essential oil coatings

[EN] 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, whichwere 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. (C) 2016 Society of Chemical IndustryThe authors acknowledge the support provided by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (SP20120518) and the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (AGL2013-42989-R-AR). Angela Perdones is grateful to Universitat Politecnia de Valencia for a FPI grantPerdones Montero, Á.; Tur, N.; Chiralt, A.; Vargas, M. (2016). Effect on tomato plant and fruit of the application of biopolymer¿oregano essential oil coatings. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 96(13):4505-4513. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.7666S450545139613Ramos-García, M., Bosquez-Molina, E., Hernández-Romano, J., Zavala-Padilla, G., Terrés-Rojas, E., Alia-Tejacal, I., … Bautista-Baños, S. (2012). Use of chitosan-based edible coatings in combination with other natural compounds, to control Rhizopus stolonifer and Escherichia coli DH5α in fresh tomatoes. Crop Protection, 38, 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2012.02.016Marti, E. (2006). Genetic and physiological characterization of tomato cv. Micro-Tom. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57(9), 2037-2047. doi:10.1093/jxb/erj154Lima, J. E., Carvalho, R. F., Neto, A. T., Figueira, A., & Peres, L. E. . (2004). Micro-MsK: a tomato genotype with miniature size, short life cycle, and improved in vitro shoot regeneration. Plant Science, 167(4), 753-757. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2004.05.023Meissner, R., Jacobson, Y., Melamed, S., Levyatuv, S., Shalev, G., Ashri, A., … Levy, A. (1997). A new model system for tomato genetics. The Plant Journal, 12(6), 1465-1472. doi:10.1046/j.1365-313x.1997.12061465.xMatusinsky, P., Zouhar, M., Pavela, R., & Novy, P. (2015). Antifungal effect of five essential oils against important pathogenic fungi of cereals. Industrial Crops and Products, 67, 208-215. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2015.01.022Bakkali, F., Averbeck, S., Averbeck, D., & Idaomar, M. (2008). Biological effects of essential oils – A review. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 46(2), 446-475. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.106Smith-Palmer, A., Stewart, J., & Fyfe, L. (2001). The potential application of plant essential oils as natural food preservatives in soft cheese. Food Microbiology, 18(4), 463-470. doi:10.1006/fmic.2001.0415Bendahou, M., Muselli, A., Grignon-Dubois, M., Benyoucef, M., Desjobert, J.-M., Bernardini, A.-F., & Costa, J. (2008). Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of Origanum glandulosum Desf. essential oil and extract obtained by microwave extraction: Comparison with hydrodistillation. Food Chemistry, 106(1), 132-139. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.05.050Sari, M., Biondi, D. M., Kaâbeche, M., Mandalari, G., D’Arrigo, M., Bisignano, G., … Ruberto, G. (2006). Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil of several populations of AlgerianOriganum glandulosum Desf. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 21(6), 890-898. doi:10.1002/ffj.1738Soylu, E. M., Kurt, Ş., & Soylu, S. (2010). In vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of the essential oils of various plants against tomato grey mould disease agent Botrytis cinerea. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 143(3), 183-189. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.08.015Tzortzakis, N. G. (2010). Ethanol, vinegar and Origanum vulgare oil vapour suppress the development of anthracnose rot in tomato fruit. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 142(1-2), 14-18. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.05.005Wogiatzi, E., Gougoulias, N., Papachatzis, A., Vagelas, I., & Chouliaras, N. (2009). Greek Oregano Essential Oils Production, Phytotoxicity and Antifungal Activity. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, 23(1), 1150-1152. doi:10.1080/13102818.2009.10817630Sánchez-González, L., Vargas, M., González-Martínez, C., Chiralt, A., & Cháfer, M. (2011). Use of Essential Oils in Bioactive Edible Coatings: A Review. Food Engineering Reviews, 3(1), 1-16. doi:10.1007/s12393-010-9031-3Tharanathan, R. N., & Kittur, F. S. (2003). Chitin — The Undisputed Biomolecule of Great Potential. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 43(1), 61-87. doi:10.1080/10408690390826455SHIEKH, R. A., MALIK, M. A., AL-THABAITI, S. A., & SHIEKH, M. A. (2013). Chitosan as a Novel Edible Coating for Fresh Fruits. Food Science and Technology Research, 19(2), 139-155. doi:10.3136/fstr.19.139Vargas, M., Pastor, C., Chiralt, A., McClements, D. J., & González-Martínez, C. (2008). Recent Advances in Edible Coatings for Fresh and Minimally Processed Fruits. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 48(6), 496-511. doi:10.1080/10408390701537344Nazan Turhan, K., & Şahbaz, F. (2004). Water vapor permeability, tensile properties and solubility of methylcellulose-based edible films. Journal of Food Engineering, 61(3), 459-466. doi:10.1016/s0260-8774(03)00155-9Vargas, M., Albors, A., Chiralt, A., & González-Martínez, C. (2011). Water interactions and microstructure of chitosan-methylcellulose composite films as affected by ionic concentration. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 44(10), 2290-2295. doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.02.018Badawy, M. E. I., & Rabea, E. I. (2009). Potential of the biopolymer chitosan with different molecular weights to control postharvest gray mold of tomato fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 51(1), 110-117. doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2008.05.018Vargas, M., Albors, A., Chiralt, A., & González-Martínez, C. (2009). Characterization of chitosan–oleic acid composite films. Food Hydrocolloids, 23(2), 536-547. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2008.02.009Perdones, Á., Vargas, M., Atarés, L., & Chiralt, A. (2014). Physical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of chitosan–cinnamon leaf oil films as affected by oleic acid. Food Hydrocolloids, 36, 256-264. doi:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2013.10.003Vargas, M., Albors, A., Chiralt, A., & González-Martínez, C. (2006). Quality of cold-stored strawberries as affected by chitosan–oleic acid edible coatings. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 41(2), 164-171. doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2006.03.016Perdones, A., Sánchez-González, L., Chiralt, A., & Vargas, M. (2012). Effect of chitosan–lemon essential oil coatings on storage-keeping quality of strawberry. 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Effects of Chitin and Its Derivative Chitosan on Postharvest Decay of Fruits: A Review

Considerable economic losses to harvested fruits are caused by postharvest fungal decay during transportation and storage, which can be significantly controlled by synthetic fungicides. However, considering public concern over pesticide residues in food and the environment, there is a need for safer alternatives for the control of postharvest decay to substitute synthetic fungicides. As the second most abundant biopolymer renewable source in nature, chitin and its derivative chitosan are widely used in controlling postharvest decay of fruits. This review aims to introduce the effect of chitin and chitosan on postharvest decay in fruits and the possible modes of action involved. We found most of the actions discussed in these researches rest on physiological mechanisms. All of the mechanisms are summarized to lay the groundwork for further studies which should focus on the molecular mechanisms of chitin and chitosan in controlling postharvest decay of fruits

Chitosan in Plant Protection

Chitin and chitosan are naturally-occurring compounds that have potential in agriculture with regard to controlling plant diseases. These molecules were shown to display toxicity and inhibit fungal growth and development. They were reported to be active against viruses, bacteria and other pests. Fragments from chitin and chitosan are known to have eliciting activities leading to a variety of defense responses in host plants in response to microbial infections, including the accumulation of phytoalexins, pathogen-related (PR) proteins and proteinase inhibitors, lignin synthesis, and callose formation. Based on these and other proprieties that help strengthen host plant defenses, interest has been growing in using them in agricultural systems to reduce the negative impact of diseases on yield and quality of crops. This review recapitulates the properties and uses of chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives, and will focus on their applications and mechanisms of action during plant-pathogen interactions

Efeitos da quitosana no desenvolvimento in vitro de videiras cv. merlot e no crescimento micelial do fungo elsinoe ampelina.

Objetivou-se, neste trabalho, avaliar o efeito da quitosana no desenvolvimento in vitro de plântulas de videira cv. Merlot e sua atividade antifúngica sobre Elsinoe ampelina. No primeiro experimento, explantes da cultivar Merlot foram transferidos para meio de cultura DSD1, acrescido das concentrações 0; 25; 50,100; 150 e 200 mg L-1 de quitosana. Após 90 dias de cultivo in vitro, as plântulas foram avaliadas quanto ao número de raízes e de folhas, porcentagem de enraizamento e brotação, comprimento de raízes e de parte aérea, massa fresca da planta. No segundo experimento, incorporou-se às concentrações 0, 60, 120, 180, 240 e 300 mg L-1 de quitosana ao meio BDA, onde inoculou-se o fungo. Posteriormente, avaliou-se o crescimento micelial aos 6 e 9 dias de incubação a 25º C no escuro. No primeiro experimento para as variáveis comprimento médio da parte aérea, massa fresca da planta inteira, porcentagem de enraizamento e porcentagem de estacas brotadas houve decréscimo linear em função das concentrações de quitosana. No segundo experimento, houve efeito linear negativo em função das concentrações crescentes de quitosana, sendo que a inibição do crescimento micelial foi de 81,7%, demonstrando o grande potencial do uso de quitosana no controle da antracnose da videira

Effects of interactions between the constituents of chitosan-edible films on their physical properties

The main objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of chitosan and plasticizer concentrations and oil presence on the physical and mechanical properties of edible films. The effect of the film constituents and their in-between interactions were studied through the evaluation of permeability, opacity and mechanical properties. The effects of the studied variables (concentrations of chitosan, plasticizer and oil) were analysed according to a 2 3 factorial design. Pareto charts were used to identify the most significant factors in the studied properties (water vapour, oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability; opacity; tensile strength; elongation at break and Young's modulus). When addressing the influence of the interactions between the films' constituents on the properties above, results show that chitosan and plasticizer concentrations are the most significant factors affecting most of the studied properties, while oil incorporation has shown to be of a great importance in the particular case of transport properties (gas permeability), essentially due to its hydrophobicity. Water vapour permeability values (ranging from 1. 62 × 10 -11 to 4. 24 × 10 -11 g m -1 s -1 Pa -1) were half of those reported for cellophane films. Also the mechanical properties (tensile strength values from 0. 43 to 13. 72 MPa and elongation-at-break values from 58. 62% to 166. 70%) were in the range of those reported for LDPE and HDPE. Based on these results, we recommend the use of 1. 5% (w/w) chitosan concentration to produce films, where the oil and plasticizer proportions will have to be adjusted in a case-by-case basis according to the use intended for the material. This work provides a useful guide to the formulation of chitosan-based film-forming solutions for food packaging applications.The author MA Cerqueira is a recipient of a fellowship from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, SFRH/BD/23897/2005) and BWS Souza is a recipient of a fellowship from the Coordenacao Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior, Brazil (Capes, Brazil)