Potential use of Zataria multiflora essential oil to control postharvest Aspergillus flavus fruit rot of strawberry

Abstract

Postharvest fruit rot is a major problem in strawberry production chain worldwide. Aspergillus sp. is one of the major fungi associated with fruit rot of strawberry. In this study, an Aspergillus flavus was isolated from a rotten strawberry fruit. Based on the nucleotide sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions of rDNA, the fungus was confirmed as A. flavus. Pathogenicity of the isolated fungus was confirmed by artificially inoculating strawberry fruits under laboratory conditions. This strain was capable of producing aflatoxin B1 in vitro as determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Postharvest dip treatment of mature strawberry fruits with Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZEO) (0.1%) completely suppressed A. flavus infection and prevented rotting of fruits. The results of this study suggest that ZEO can be used as a sustainable and safe alternative to chemical fungicides for the control of Aspergillus fruit rot of strawberry.