The postharvest pathogens such as R. nigricans, A. flavas and P. expansum are the causal agents of jujube or orange fruit, therefore, in vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of cinnamon oil to inactivate these fungi were investigated. Cinnamaldehyde is the main constituent of cinnamon oil. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of cinnamon oil against Rhizopus nigricans, Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium expansum were 0.64% (v ⁄ v), 0.16% (v ⁄ v) and 0.16% (v ⁄ v), respectively. The antifungal activity of cinnamon oil against A. flavus and P. expansum was stronger than that against R. nigricans and the activity was improved with increasing its concentration. In an in vivo study, cinnamon oil with concentrations of 2.0% (v ⁄ v) and 3.0% (v ⁄ v) showed complete control the growth of fungi in wound-inoculated Lingwu Long Jujube and Sand Sugar Orange fruits. These results revealed that cinnamon oil has a good potential to be as a natural antifungal agent for fruit applications.
A novel nanopackaging was synthesised by coating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film with nano-ZnO powder, and its effects on the preservation quality of fresh-cut 'Fuji' apple were investigated at 4°C for 12 days. Compared with the control (PVC film), nanopackaging significantly reduced the fruit decay rate (P < 0.05), as well as decreased the accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) from 74.9 nmol g )1 in the control to 53.9 nmol g )1 in the nanopackaging. Cutting caused an increase in ethylene level, suggesting wound-induced ethylene production, which was suppressed in nanopackaging. Both the polyphenoloxidase and pyrogallol peroxidase activities were decreased in nanopackaging fruit. The initial appearance of apple slices was retained, and the browning index was prevented in nanopackaging samples, which was only 23.9, much lower than the control of 31.7 on day 12. These results indicated that nano-ZnO active packaging could be a viable alternative to common technologies for improving the shelf-life properties of 'Fuji' apples as a fresh-cut product.
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