Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens

Abstract The search for safe, natural antimicrobial agents has received significant attention for controlling postharvest diseases in fruits. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of pomegranate peel extracts (PPE) against 9 pathogenic fungi by different methods. Additionally, the key antifun...

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Main Authors: Muhammad Nawaz, Junkun Pan, Hui Liu, Muhammad Jawad Umer, Jiechao Liu, Wenbo Yang, Zhenzhen Lv, Qiang Zhang, Zhonggao Jiao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2025-04-01
Series:Bioresources and Bioprocessing
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40643-025-00874-9
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author Muhammad Nawaz
Junkun Pan
Hui Liu
Muhammad Jawad Umer
Jiechao Liu
Wenbo Yang
Zhenzhen Lv
Qiang Zhang
Zhonggao Jiao
author_facet Muhammad Nawaz
Junkun Pan
Hui Liu
Muhammad Jawad Umer
Jiechao Liu
Wenbo Yang
Zhenzhen Lv
Qiang Zhang
Zhonggao Jiao
author_sort Muhammad Nawaz
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The search for safe, natural antimicrobial agents has received significant attention for controlling postharvest diseases in fruits. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of pomegranate peel extracts (PPE) against 9 pathogenic fungi by different methods. Additionally, the key antifungal polyphenol compounds were identified. Results revealed that the n-hexane partitioned fraction of ethanolic extract exhibited the highest inhibition efficacy. A total 36 polyphenols, including 10 newly discovered compounds in pomegranate peel were recognized. Among these, 9 specific polyphenols were found to be relatively abundant in the n-hexane fraction, highlighting their potential as primary antifungal agents. Notably, the newly identified polyphenol compound nobiletin demonstrated the strongest inhibitory effects against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Rhizopus stolonifer and Aspergillus niger with inhibition diameters of 12.2, 12.0, and 12.5 mm, respectively. Salidroside exhibited significant antifungal activity against Monilinia fructicola and A. niger (inhibition diameters > 12.0 mm). Furthermore, cinnamic acid that was enriched in hexane fraction, showed the highest inhibitory zones against Alternaria alternata, C. gloeosporioides and Botryosphaeria dothidea (11.8 ~ 12.7 mm). Caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid both displayed the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) on Penicillium expansum. The study demonstrated the potential of PPE, particularly the n-hexane fraction, as a broad-spectrum natural antifungal agent for postharvest disease management.
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spelling doaj-art-8ce744eb75274371ae86fc9bc4f4cc392025-08-20T02:24:26ZengSpringerOpenBioresources and Bioprocessing2197-43652025-04-0112111510.1186/s40643-025-00874-9Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogensMuhammad Nawaz0Junkun Pan1Hui Liu2Muhammad Jawad Umer3Jiechao Liu4Wenbo Yang5Zhenzhen Lv6Qiang Zhang7Zhonggao Jiao8Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Peanut Sub-Center of National Center of Oilseed Crops Improvement, Crops Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesZhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesAbstract The search for safe, natural antimicrobial agents has received significant attention for controlling postharvest diseases in fruits. This study evaluated the antifungal activity of pomegranate peel extracts (PPE) against 9 pathogenic fungi by different methods. Additionally, the key antifungal polyphenol compounds were identified. Results revealed that the n-hexane partitioned fraction of ethanolic extract exhibited the highest inhibition efficacy. A total 36 polyphenols, including 10 newly discovered compounds in pomegranate peel were recognized. Among these, 9 specific polyphenols were found to be relatively abundant in the n-hexane fraction, highlighting their potential as primary antifungal agents. Notably, the newly identified polyphenol compound nobiletin demonstrated the strongest inhibitory effects against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Rhizopus stolonifer and Aspergillus niger with inhibition diameters of 12.2, 12.0, and 12.5 mm, respectively. Salidroside exhibited significant antifungal activity against Monilinia fructicola and A. niger (inhibition diameters > 12.0 mm). Furthermore, cinnamic acid that was enriched in hexane fraction, showed the highest inhibitory zones against Alternaria alternata, C. gloeosporioides and Botryosphaeria dothidea (11.8 ~ 12.7 mm). Caffeic acid and protocatechuic acid both displayed the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) on Penicillium expansum. The study demonstrated the potential of PPE, particularly the n-hexane fraction, as a broad-spectrum natural antifungal agent for postharvest disease management.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40643-025-00874-9Pomegranate peelPolyphenolsAntifungal activityFruitPostharvest pathogens
spellingShingle Muhammad Nawaz
Junkun Pan
Hui Liu
Muhammad Jawad Umer
Jiechao Liu
Wenbo Yang
Zhenzhen Lv
Qiang Zhang
Zhonggao Jiao
Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
Bioresources and Bioprocessing
Pomegranate peel
Polyphenols
Antifungal activity
Fruit
Postharvest pathogens
title Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
title_full Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
title_fullStr Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
title_full_unstemmed Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
title_short Integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
title_sort integrated evaluation of antifungal activity of pomegranate peel polyphenols against a diverse range of postharvest fruit pathogens
topic Pomegranate peel
Polyphenols
Antifungal activity
Fruit
Postharvest pathogens
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40643-025-00874-9
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