Active coatings based on oxidized chitin nanocrystals and silk fibroins for the control of anthracnose in 'Hass' avocados

Funes, Catalina Ferreira; Larach, Alejandra; Besoain, Ximena; Serrano, Daniela Duarte; Hadad, Caroline; Pedreschi, Romina; Van Nhien, Albert Nguyen; Fuentealba, Claudia

Abstract

Postharvest avocado losses are mainly due to anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Chemical fungicides are effective, but their negative effects on health and the environment have led to the search for sustainable alternatives such as biopolymer-based coatings and natural compounds. Therefore, chitin nanocrystals (NCChit) were extracted using a sustainable deep eutectic solvent (DES) and chemically modified into oxidized chitin nanocrystals (O-NCChit) or deacetylated chitin nanocrystals (D-NCChit) to modulate and increase the charge surface density and the dispersibility of the crystals. The modified NCChits were dispersed with silk fibroins (SF), essential oil (EO), melatonin (MT) and/or phenylalanine (Phe) to elaborate active coatings. Antioxidant and antifungal in vitro analyses showed that the O-NCChit/SF-based coating had the best performance. In addition, in vivo tests were carried out through the artificial inoculation of C. gloeosporioides on coated avocados. O-NCChit/SF/MT-based coatings reduced the severity of anthracnose by 45 %, the same effect as the chemical fungicide (Prochloraz (R)). Moreover, avocado quality parameters during cold storage and the shelf-life period were also evaluated, where nonsignificant differences were observed. Therefore, this study demonstrates the great potential of O-NCChit and SF in combination with active compounds for the control of anthracnose in 'Hass' avocados.

Más información

Título según WOS: Active coatings based on oxidized chitin nanocrystals and silk fibroins for the control of anthracnose in 'Hass' avocados
Título de la Revista: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
Volumen: 253
Editorial: Elsevier
Fecha de publicación: 2023
DOI:

10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126673

Notas: ISI