Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review
Citrus fruits are highly susceptible to fungal infections during storage due to their elevated moisture and nutrient content, leading to reduced shelf life and significant economic losses. For years, postharvest diseases in citrus have been managed with synthetic fungicides. However, due to their ha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325005666 |
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| author | Houda El Kahia Ezzouhra El Maaiden Kawtar Farih Zahid Abderrakib Majid Mounir Hafsa Korri-Youssoufi Lamfeddal Kouisni Youssef El Kharrassi |
| author_facet | Houda El Kahia Ezzouhra El Maaiden Kawtar Farih Zahid Abderrakib Majid Mounir Hafsa Korri-Youssoufi Lamfeddal Kouisni Youssef El Kharrassi |
| author_sort | Houda El Kahia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Citrus fruits are highly susceptible to fungal infections during storage due to their elevated moisture and nutrient content, leading to reduced shelf life and significant economic losses. For years, postharvest diseases in citrus have been managed with synthetic fungicides. However, due to their harmful effects on human health and environmental toxicity, the search for safer alternative solutions for managing these diseases has become imperative. Natural products including essential oils (EO) have been proposed as alternative methods to control plant pathogens and pests, as well as for post-harvest applications. Citral has been identified as the most potent antifungal compound found in the essential oils of citrus, and lemon-scented plants. This valuable compound was reported in several studies to be effective against major citrus postharvest pathogens, mainly Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, and Geotrichum candidum, which are responsible, respectively, for green mold, blue mold, and sour rot. Therefore, this review explores methods used for the extraction and isolation of citral from citral-rich plants, its antifungal mechanism against citrus pathogens, and the challenges associated with its application, such as volatility, instability, low water solubility, and potential phytotoxicity on fruit skin. Additionally, the review highlights recent advancements in incorporating citral into coating formulations to mitigate postharvest losses and preserve citrus fruit quality. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-715d5fe39cf1448e83e2de3a811b664e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-1543 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-715d5fe39cf1448e83e2de3a811b664e2025-08-20T03:51:49ZengElsevierJournal of Agriculture and Food Research2666-15432025-10-012310219510.1016/j.jafr.2025.102195Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A reviewHouda El Kahia0Ezzouhra El Maaiden1Kawtar Farih2Zahid Abderrakib3Majid Mounir4Hafsa Korri-Youssoufi5Lamfeddal Kouisni6Youssef El Kharrassi7African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Laâyoune, 70000, MoroccoAfrican Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Laâyoune, 70000, MoroccoBiotechnology and Biotransformation Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Rabat, MoroccoPlant Protection Unit, Department of Plant Production, Protection and Biotechnology, Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Rabat, MoroccoBiotechnology and Biotransformation Laboratory, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Rabat, MoroccoUniversité Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d’Orsay (ICMMO), ECBB, 17 Avenue des Sciences, Site Henri Moisson, 91400, Orsay, FranceAfrican Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Laâyoune, 70000, MoroccoAfrican Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Laâyoune, 70000, Morocco; Corresponding author.Citrus fruits are highly susceptible to fungal infections during storage due to their elevated moisture and nutrient content, leading to reduced shelf life and significant economic losses. For years, postharvest diseases in citrus have been managed with synthetic fungicides. However, due to their harmful effects on human health and environmental toxicity, the search for safer alternative solutions for managing these diseases has become imperative. Natural products including essential oils (EO) have been proposed as alternative methods to control plant pathogens and pests, as well as for post-harvest applications. Citral has been identified as the most potent antifungal compound found in the essential oils of citrus, and lemon-scented plants. This valuable compound was reported in several studies to be effective against major citrus postharvest pathogens, mainly Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, and Geotrichum candidum, which are responsible, respectively, for green mold, blue mold, and sour rot. Therefore, this review explores methods used for the extraction and isolation of citral from citral-rich plants, its antifungal mechanism against citrus pathogens, and the challenges associated with its application, such as volatility, instability, low water solubility, and potential phytotoxicity on fruit skin. Additionally, the review highlights recent advancements in incorporating citral into coating formulations to mitigate postharvest losses and preserve citrus fruit quality.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325005666CitralEssential oilsPostharvestAntifungalEncapsulationCoating |
| spellingShingle | Houda El Kahia Ezzouhra El Maaiden Kawtar Farih Zahid Abderrakib Majid Mounir Hafsa Korri-Youssoufi Lamfeddal Kouisni Youssef El Kharrassi Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review Journal of Agriculture and Food Research Citral Essential oils Postharvest Antifungal Encapsulation Coating |
| title | Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review |
| title_full | Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review |
| title_fullStr | Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review |
| title_short | Application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits: A review |
| title_sort | application of citral as an antifungal agent in the control of postharvest diseases of citrus fruits a review |
| topic | Citral Essential oils Postharvest Antifungal Encapsulation Coating |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154325005666 |
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