Filamentous fungi including Botrytis, Aspergillus and Penicillium are widely dispersed in nature and are a significant agent in deterioration and spoilage of food and agricultural crops. The majority of fresh fruits are sensible to infection by some pathogenic fungi in postharvest period. Pathogenic fungi are main infectious agents of apples, pears, and a number of other pectin-rich fruits. Due to concerns regarding safety of the chemical control, special attention has been given to the potential applications of essential oils (EOs) and some microbial metabolites as alternative. They have a wide range of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Considering that greater amount of EOs are required for preservation in food systems, their using can have a negative impact on sensory properties. To avoid such adverse side effect, various EOs can be mixed. On the other hand the synergistic possible effect produced by the combination of plant essential oils was referred as an efficient strategy to combat microbial development. Furthermore, using bio-preservative as nano-emulsion can improve the stability and antimicrobial activities.

Research program:

• Investigation the antifungal activities of some essential oils combinations against pathogenic fungi.
• Designing and formulating nano-emulsion systems with high antifungal activities based on combinations of efficient essential oils
• Designing and formulating nano-emulsion with high antifungal activities based on cell-free extract of lactic acid bacteria.
• Evaluation the efficacy of optimized nano-emulsion systems against pathogenic fungi in vitro and in vivo test.
• Investigation the potential of optimized nano-emulsion to extend postharvest shelf-life of some fruits

Effect of EO treatments on the control of decay caused by B. cinerea (a ) and P. expansum (b) in artificially wounded pear fruits after at 25°C.A: cinnamon, B: thyme, C: thyme/cinnamon and D: cinnamon/rosemary/thyme.

Advantages of the Technology:

• Decrease the postharvest loose of fruits
• Reduction the consumption of synthetic antifungal in postharvest phase