Essential oil composition and antifungal activity of Pulicaria mauritanica Coss., against postharvest phytopathogenic fungi in apples

- 25 compounds were identified in Pulicaria mauritanica essential oil (94.3% of the oil).
- Carvotanacetone strongly dominated the oil composition with 87.3 ± 5.2%.
- This oil inhibited significatively the mycelial growth of all fungal strains tested.
- The VA showed that the essential oil strongly inhibits all three fungi.
- This oil can be used as antifungal for the control of postharvest diseases of apple.

The application of essential oils is an alternative method of controlling the postharvest decay of apples, justified by the toxicity and the resistance of fungal pathogens to synthetic fungicides. Twenty-five compounds were identified for the first time in Pulicaria mauritanica essential oil, accounting for 94.3 g/100 g of the total oil. Carvotanacetone strongly dominated the oil composition with 87.3 g/100 g. The antifungal activity of the P. mauritanica oil was tested by the poisoned food (PF) technique and the volatile activity (VA) assay against three phytopathogenic fungi viz Alternaria sp., Penicillium expansum and Rhizopus stolonifer causing the deterioration for apples. The PF technique demonstrated significant inhibition of the mycelial growth of all strains (p < 0.05), with the complete inhibition of Alternaria sp., and P. expansum at MIC = 2 μL/mL. Similarly, the VA assay showed that the essential oil strongly inhibits all three fungi. The complete inhibition of the mycelial growth of Alternaria sp., was observed at MIQ = 20 μL/disc, and that of P. expansum and R. stolonifer was observed at MIQ = 40 μL/disc. The overall results suggest that P. mauritanica essential oil have a potential as antifungal preservatives for the control of postharvest diseases of apple.