Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus
This research analyzes the innovative development of carnauba wax coatings enriched with essential oils (EOs: lemon, orange, grapefruit, clove, oregano, and cinnamon) or fruit by-products (FBPs: avocado, tomato, carrot, orange, lemon, and grapefruit) to improve postharvest preservation of organic or...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2616 |
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| author | Lorena Martínez-Zamora Rosa Zapata Marina Cano-Lamadrid Francisco Artés-Hernández |
| author_facet | Lorena Martínez-Zamora Rosa Zapata Marina Cano-Lamadrid Francisco Artés-Hernández |
| author_sort | Lorena Martínez-Zamora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This research analyzes the innovative development of carnauba wax coatings enriched with essential oils (EOs: lemon, orange, grapefruit, clove, oregano, and cinnamon) or fruit by-products (FBPs: avocado, tomato, carrot, orange, lemon, and grapefruit) to improve postharvest preservation of organic oranges and lemons. Six EOs and six FBPs were evaluated for total phenolic content (TPC) and in vitro antifungal activity against <i>Penicillium digitatum</i>. Based on results, grapefruit, oregano, and clove EOs were selected for lemons, while avocado, orange, and grapefruit FBPs were selected for oranges. An in vivo test at 20 °C for 15 days with carnauba wax coatings assessed antifungal performance. Clove EO and avocado FBP showed strong in vitro inhibition and consistent hyphal suppression (~100 and ~82%, respectively). In vivo, coatings with grapefruit EO and avocado FBP significantly reduced fungal decay and sporulation (~75%) in lemons and oranges, respectively. Coated fruits also retained weight losses by ~25% compared to uncoated ones. These findings suggest that phenolic-rich natural extracts, especially from agro-industrial residues like avocado peels, offer a promising and sustainable strategy for postharvest citrus disease control. Further studies should test coating effectiveness in large-scale trials under refrigeration combined with other preservation strategies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8aa58ad377864fd9b6b08a8a559f6653 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-8aa58ad377864fd9b6b08a8a559f66532025-08-20T04:00:53ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-07-011415261610.3390/foods14152616Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic CitrusLorena Martínez-Zamora0Rosa Zapata1Marina Cano-Lamadrid2Francisco Artés-Hernández3Postharvest and Refrigeration Group, Department of Agricultural Engineering and Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, SpainPostharvest and Refrigeration Group, Department of Agricultural Engineering and Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, SpainPostharvest and Refrigeration Group, Department of Agricultural Engineering and Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, SpainPostharvest and Refrigeration Group, Department of Agricultural Engineering and Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, SpainThis research analyzes the innovative development of carnauba wax coatings enriched with essential oils (EOs: lemon, orange, grapefruit, clove, oregano, and cinnamon) or fruit by-products (FBPs: avocado, tomato, carrot, orange, lemon, and grapefruit) to improve postharvest preservation of organic oranges and lemons. Six EOs and six FBPs were evaluated for total phenolic content (TPC) and in vitro antifungal activity against <i>Penicillium digitatum</i>. Based on results, grapefruit, oregano, and clove EOs were selected for lemons, while avocado, orange, and grapefruit FBPs were selected for oranges. An in vivo test at 20 °C for 15 days with carnauba wax coatings assessed antifungal performance. Clove EO and avocado FBP showed strong in vitro inhibition and consistent hyphal suppression (~100 and ~82%, respectively). In vivo, coatings with grapefruit EO and avocado FBP significantly reduced fungal decay and sporulation (~75%) in lemons and oranges, respectively. Coated fruits also retained weight losses by ~25% compared to uncoated ones. These findings suggest that phenolic-rich natural extracts, especially from agro-industrial residues like avocado peels, offer a promising and sustainable strategy for postharvest citrus disease control. Further studies should test coating effectiveness in large-scale trials under refrigeration combined with other preservation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2616<i>Citrus limon</i><i>Citrus sinensis</i>valorizationphenolic compoundsin vitroin vivo |
| spellingShingle | Lorena Martínez-Zamora Rosa Zapata Marina Cano-Lamadrid Francisco Artés-Hernández Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus Foods <i>Citrus limon</i> <i>Citrus sinensis</i> valorization phenolic compounds in vitro in vivo |
| title | Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus |
| title_full | Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus |
| title_fullStr | Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus |
| title_short | Carnauba Wax Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils or Fruit By-Products Reduce Decay and Preserve Postharvest Quality in Organic Citrus |
| title_sort | carnauba wax coatings enriched with essential oils or fruit by products reduce decay and preserve postharvest quality in organic citrus |
| topic | <i>Citrus limon</i> <i>Citrus sinensis</i> valorization phenolic compounds in vitro in vivo |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2616 |
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