The growth of fungi during pre- and postharvest of fruits may cause spoilage and result in a reduction in quality and
quantity. The aim of the present work was to investigate the efficacy of four extracts (
n-hexane, dichlorometane, ethyl
acetate, and methanol) and the essential oil of
Piper auritum
Kunth and
P. holtonii
C. DC. on the growth inhibition of three
important postharvest pathogens of fruits (
Colletotrichum acutatum
,
C. gloeosporioides
, and
Botryodiplodia theobromae
).
The
in vitro antifungal activity was assayed following the poisoned food technique. The results showed that both
n-hexane
extract (HE) as essential oil (EO) displayed a relative good control against the three pathogens, being the originating
materials of
P. holtonii the most actives. Mycelial growth of
C. acutatum,
C. gloeosporioides, and
B. theobromae was
significantly inhibited at 400 μg mL
-1. Additionally, the chemical composition of the bioactive materials was analyzed
by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Safrole (64.54/56.88%) and apiol (64.24/57.20%) were the major
constituents of the EO/HE from
P. auritum and
P. holtonii respectively. Structural identification was also confirmed by
nuclear magnetic resonance. Both compounds exhibited significant antifungal properties. It can be concluded that EOs/HEs
from
P. auritum and
P. holtonii, and their major constituents, have interesting applications to control plant pathogenic fungi.
