Although the demand for food is on the rise, a high percentage of food is lost in different points of the food supply chain. This loss reaches up to 40% of the food production and is partially due to foodstuff spoilage by microorganisms, including filamentous fungi. The use of pesticides and chemical compounds for controlling food spoilage represents hazards from human and environmental health and has been under strong discussion for years. On the other hand, many plants can produce natural compounds which antimicrobial functions, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
We have screened several plants extracts for their antifungal properties against filamentous fungi. One of these extracts inhibited the in vitro growth of the reference filamentous fungus A. nidulans and the food spoilage fungi Trichoderma atroviride, Nectria haematococca, Penicillium paneum, Botrytis cinerea and Aspergillus niger showing MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) value of 0.03% v/v for all species. Using the selected plant extract we developed a specific formulation named OXCCe. The new formulation was able to inhibit A. nidulans, A. niger and B. cinerea growth at the concentration of 0.03% in MIC assays, also inhibited spore germination of the assayed fungi species at the same concentration and demonstrated antifungal activity.
Moreover, using cherry tomatoes fruits as infection model, OXXCe showed an excellent activity on inhibiting the development of A. niger and B. cinerea in both artificially and naturally infected cherry tomatoes, extending their shelf-life. Our results suggest that the OXXCe formulation was able to combat the growth of foodborne plant pathogenic fungi suggesting the application of this product in controlling the post-harvest spoilage of fresh cherry tomatoes fruits and potentially extend their shelf life.