BACKGROUND: Fungal contamination is a major cause of food spoilage. There is an urgent need to find and characterize natural preservatives. This study evaluates the prevalence of fungi in tomatoes and their control by using essential oil (EO) from sweet orange peel. Essential oils were extracted from dried and fresh sweet orange peels by using n-hexane and ethanol as extraction solvents. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses were performed to identify the chemical composition of the EO. A combination of chitosan (CS) and EO was used to control the fungal decay of tomatoes inoculated with Aspergillus niger and Penicillium citrinum.RESULTS: Tomatoes obtained from local markets and supermarkets showed a high prevalence of Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. Essential oils extracted by ethanol from dried peels showed complete inhibition of A. niger and P. citrinum and hyphal degradation at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 100 ∼L mL −1 . The combination of EO with chitosan (2%) as a coating, effectively controlled the fungal decay of tomatoes until the eighth day of storage at 25 °C.CONCLUSION: Due to their edible nature, and their antifungal and preservative potential, EO-and CS-based coatings can be used to extend the shelf life of tomatoes and other agriculture commodities. Essential oil-and CS-based coating can be used as alternative to synthetic preservatives, which are associated with various health hazards.