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Efficiency of Essential Oils and Their Constituents in the Control of Geotrichum citri-aurantii and Penicillium digitatum of Oranges

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Abstract

Penicillium digitatum and Geotrichum citri-aurantii are fungi that cause green mold and sour rot, respectively, both of which are postharvest diseases responsible for economic losses in oranges. Concerns about environmental and human health regarding agrochemicals necessitate the investigation of effective disease control alternatives. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro effect of seven essential oils (EOs) on the mycelial growth of G. citri-aurantii and P. digitatum in orange, to identify the EOs with the highest antifungal activity, and to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the selected EOs. Additionally, the chemical composition of two batches of EOs from the same plant species was analyzed using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and the results were compared. The antifungal activity of the mixture of the major constituents of each selected EO was evaluated. According to the results, oregano, cinnamon bark, clove basil, and rosemary pepper EOs exhibited the most promising outcomes in inhibiting G. citri-aurantii and P. digitatum, with MIC of 0.25–3.0 μL. mL−1. Despite being extracted from the same plant species, the two EO batches showed different profiles of chemical constituents and proportions. Concerning the antifungal activity of the constituents, the mixture of the three major EO constituents displayed greater antifungal activity than the pure EO, with MIC of 0.25–1.00 μL. mL−1, suggesting an interaction among the mixture components. Therefore, using a mixture of the major constituents of EO represents a promising alternative to chemical fungicides commonly used for controlling postharvest diseases in oranges.

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Data Availability

The authors declare that the data will be available upon request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the resources granted by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP 2018/25318-7 and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico—CNPq 407421_2021-1, as well as for the granting of a doctoral scholarship (CNPq 140679/2022-7). They also thanks Alfacitrus – Produção e Comércio de Citrus for their support in the research project. Special thanks also to Mr. Marley Mendonça Tavares and Mrs. Debora Renata Cassoli de Souza Dutra for their support in GC-MS analysis.

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  1. Laboratório de Tecnologia Pós-Colheita, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola (FEAGRI), Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Barão Geraldo, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil

    Adriane Maria da Silva & Juliana Aparecida Fracarolli

  2. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Meio Ambiente, CP 69, Jaguariúna, SP, 13918-110, Brazil

    Daniel Terao, Elke Simoni Dias Vilela, Sonia Claudia do Nascimento de Queiroz & Aline de Holanda Nunes Maia

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da Silva, A.M., Terao, D., Vilela, E.S.D. et al. Efficiency of Essential Oils and Their Constituents in the Control of Geotrichum citri-aurantii and Penicillium digitatum of Oranges. Arab J Sci Eng (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-024-09948-w

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