Combination of Essential Oil Postharvest Vaporization and Modified Atmosphere Storage to Control Postharvest Rots of Nectarine and Maintain Fruit Quality

Abstract

Gray mold and Rhizopus rot incited by Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer, respectively, cause major postharvest losses in nectarine fruits cv. 'Florda' during cold storage. The effect of cinnamon and carnation oils and/or some levels of modified atmospheres, i.e. 5% O2+ 5% CO2 + 90% N2 (MA1), 10% O2 + 5% CO2 + 85% N2 (MA2) or 5% O2 +10% CO2 + 85% N2 (MA3) against B. cinerea and R. stolonifer was investigated in vitro and in vivo on nectarines during cold storage. Growth of B. cinerea and R. stolonifer was completely inhibited by the application of cinnamon and carnation oils at concentrations of 50, 75 and 100 µl/L air in vitro. Individual treatments of nectarines with cinnamon, carnation oils and modified atmosphere MA2 were the most suppressive treatments against gray mold and Rhizopus rot on fruits stored at 0oC for 45 days during seasons 2017 and 2018. Cinnamon oil gave the highest control against fungal decay during simulated market life in both tested seasons. In vivo results showed also that nectarine fruits treated with the combination of either cinnamon oil or carnation oil accompanied with modified atmosphere at the level of MA2 exhibited the most suppressive treatments of decay incited by B. cinerea and R. stolonifer on nectarine fruits or simulated market life comparing with such adopted individual treatment. Combination of different modified atmospheres with cinnamon or carnation oils maintained highest fruit quality characteristics such asfruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and reduced fruit losses.