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Quality enhancement of fruits conserved with essential oils prolonging storage

Description of the subject. Raspberries and strawberries are highly perishable due to postharvest fungal development. Numerous studies have shown that essential oils can be promising biopesticides for maintaining the quality of fresh fruit during postharvest storage. Objectives. This work aimed to evaluate the potential of Ismelia carinata and Cladanthus arabicus (Asteraceae) essential oils (EOs) to extend the shelf life of raspberries and strawberries. Method. The chemical composition of EOs from I. carinata and C. arabicus was analyzed using GC/MS. In vitro antifungal effects of EOs using agar dilution and disk diffusion methods were tested against Botrytis cinerea. The I. carinata and C. arabicus EOs were used as bioactive agents to preserve the quality of berries during 15 days in cold storage. Also, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and maturity index of berries treated with 400 mg·l-1 of I. carinata EO are analyzed. Results. The GC/MS analysis revealed that the major compounds were tau-cadinol (65.93%) and tau-muurolol (24.65%) for I. carinata, β-pinene (23.58%), and tau-cadinol (9.54%) for C. arabicus. Both EOs tested showed best inhibition percentages against B.cinerea using the agar dilution method. Ismelia carinata EO was an efficient preservative agent for raspberries and strawberries during storage at 4 °C. The maturity index of both berries was significant compared to untreated controls (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions. Ismelia carinata EO holds promise for extending fruit quality in cold storage, with subsequent benefit to fruit marketing supply chains.