Chemical composition and antifungal effects of three species of Satureja (S. hortensis, S. spicigera, and S. khuzistanica) essential oils on the main pathogens of strawberry fruit

Published Date
November 2015, Vol.109:145–151, doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2015.06.014

Author 

• Mohsen Farzaneh ^a
• Hossein Kiani ^b,,
• Rohollah Sharifi ^c
• Mojtaba Reisi ^d
• Javad Hadian ^a

• aDepartment of Agriculture, Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C. Evin, Tehran, Iran
• bBioprocessing and Biodetection Lab, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
• cDeparment of Plant Protection, Razi University of Kermanshah, Kermanshah, Iran
• dDepartment of Public Health, Cereal Health research Centre, School of Health, Golestan University of Medical Science, Gorgan, Iran

Received 19 March 2015. Revised 21 June 2015. Accepted 29 June 2015. Available online 13 July 2015.

Highlights

• Essential oils of three Satureja species were isolated.
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  Chemical and antifungal properties of these essential oils were investigated.
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  Carvacrol, γ-terpinene and p-cymene were the main oil constituent.
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  All species possessed antifungal activity against strawberry-born fungi.

Abstract

Due to an increasing risk of chemical contamination upon the application of synthetic fungicides to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables, essential oils are gaining increasing attentions. In this research, besides chemical analysis of the essential oils of three Satureja species (S. hortensis, S. spicigera, and S. khuzistanica) by GC–MS, their fungicidal and/or fungistatic effects on postharvest pathogens of strawberry were investigated. Essential oils were extracted by means of hydro-distillation and afterwards GC/MS analysis was performed to identify their components. Carvacrol, γ-terpinene and p-cymene were detected as the repeating main constituents of the spices, while thymol and carvacrol methyl ether were found as major components only in S. ‎spicigera oil. In vitro results showed that at the maximum concentration, the essential oils did not possess fungicidal effects on Aspergillus niger but they exhibited fungicidal activities against Penicillium digitatum, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer. However, S. khuzistanica was the strongest oil in fungicidal activity. S. hortensis oil was more effective than S. spicigera against B. cinereawhereas S. spicigera oil showed stronger fungicidal activity against R. stolonifer. In conclusion, essential oils isolated from three savory species could be suitable for applications in the food industry to control molds and improve the safety of fruits and vegetables.

Keywords

Antifungal activity

Essential oil

Satureja

Strawberry

Biological control

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