Inhibition of Botrytis cinerea in tomatoes by allyl-isothiocyanate release from black mustard (Brassica nigra) seeds and detection by E-nose.

The aim of this work is to delayed the postharvest development of Botrytis cinerea in tomatoes by releasing allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) from mustard seeds at room temperature, and to discriminate the aromatic profile by using an electronic device (E-nose). Olfactory sensory analysis showed that tomatoes inoculated in the presence of AITC did not develop the microorganisms until the eighth day of storage. The highest inhibitory concentration of AITC was found in Day 3 (175.18 ppb). However, tomatoes inoculated without the presence of AITC developed a moldy aroma on the third day of storage. The most prominent chemical groups were esters, ketones and alcohols. The compounds associated with a positive aroma were trimethyl orthoacetate, styrene, tridecan-7-amine and acetaldehyde, while compounds related to B. cinerea were hepten-2-one and butanoic acid. The E-nose was able to discriminate tomatoes based on their aromatic characteristics during the storage period. Moreover, it successfully quantified the mold defect aroma with the established Partial Least Squares (PLS) model.