Controlling Fusarium acuminatum Rot on Saladette Tomato Fruit Through Hybrid Films Containing Cymbopogon citratus Essential Oil.

Herein, we report on Fusarium acuminatum as a potential postharvest phytopathogen of saladette tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum) and its ex situ control through hybrid films made of chitosan and Cymbopogon citratus essential oil. GC-MS analysis revealed that C. citratus essential oil contained geranial (38.7%), neral (36.9%), and beta-myrcene (11.3%) as major compounds with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 2.1 mg/mL against F. acuminatum. According to scanning electron microscopy and FT-IR tests, hybrid films made of chitosan and 1%-1.5% C. citratus essential oil exhibited a homogeneous surface and internal composition while also conserving bioactive functional groups from monoterpenes linked to antifungal activity. These composites also had moderate opacity (OD 600 = 50-100) and low transmittance at 190-490 nm, which are required to repel UV-C and UV-B light associated with fruit decay. Under ex situ conditions, tomatoes covered with films made of chitosan and 1-1.5% C. citratus essential oil substantially reduced (p < 0.001) severity percentage (< 5%) of F. acuminatum infection on inoculated fruit, inducing notable conservation (p < 0.001) of firmness and lycopene content compared to films made of sole chitosan, untreated healthy fruits, and specially with untreated infected tomatoes.