Abstract

GARCIA-MATEOS, María del Rosario; CORRALES-GARCIA, Joel; CORNEJO-VIVAR, Teresita  and  HERNANDEZ-RAMOS, Lyzbeth. Biodegradable antifungal coating based on chitosan and citrus essential oil for the conservation of papaya (Carica papaya L.) in postharvest. CienciaUAT [online]. 2023, vol.17, n.2, pp.165-180.  Epub June 26, 2023. ISSN 2007-7858.  https://doi.org/10.29059/cienciauat.v17i2.1703.

Papaya is a highly perishable climacteric fruit. Anthracnose, a disease provoked by fungus, is one of the main causes of postharvest losses. The activity of plant extracts has allowed the inhibition of the development of microorganisms; in particular, the antifungal activity of essential oils has been reported. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of a biodegradable antifungal coating based on chitosan with citrus essential oil in the physicochemical and physiological properties and the antifungal activity of postharvest papaya (Carica papaya L.). The coating was prepared with chitosan, glycerol, acetic acid, essential oil of Citrus reticulata (0.5 %, 1.0 % and 1.5 %) and Tween® 80. The solution was applied with a brush to the epidermis of the postharvest papaya fruits and stored at room temperature (24 °C ± 2 °C) for 10 d. The variables evaluated in the fruits were color, pH, °Brix, firmness, weight loss, production of CO2 and ethylene and anthracnose damage. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed under a completely randomized design and a comparison of Tukey means (P < 0.05). The coating applied delayed the color change of the epidermis of the papaya fruits, these maintained the high firmness values with respect to the control fruits. The changes were associated with the modification of the respiration rate and ethylene production of the coated fruits. The chitosan matrix containing essential oils used as a coating significantly improved shelf life of papaya and decreased anthracnose damage by 80 %.

Keywords : essential oil; citrus; papaya; chitosan; anthracnose.