Efficacy of ginger oil and extract combined with gum arabic on anthracnose and quality of papaya fruit during cold storage.

Abstract

Effect of 2.0% ginger oil (GO) and 1.5% ginger extract (GE) in combination with 10.0% gum arabic (GA) was evaluated for the postharvest control of anthracnose and maintaining quality of Eksotika II papaya fruit during storage at 12±1°C and 80-85% RH. Antifungal compounds present in GO and GE were analyzed using gas chromatography and GO was found to contain α-pinene, 1, 8-cineole and borneol, while only borneol was present in GE due to different extraction methods applied. The highest antifungal activity was shown in 2.0% GO combined with 10% GA, which significantly (P<0.05) inhibited spore germination by 93%. Based on the physicochemical properties tested, 2.0% GO combined with 10% GA significantly delayed the ripening of papaya. These results show that 10.0% GA combined with 2.0% GO is an effective postharvest biofungicide for papaya.