| Sumario: | The in vitro antifungal activity of different natural extracts and essential oils against Monilinia fructicola, the causal agent of brown rot of stone fruits, was evaluated as mycelial growth reduction on amended PDA plates. The most effective agents [cinnamon (CN), lemongrass (LG), geraniol (GE), and myrrh (MY)] were selected as antifungal ingredients of composite edible coatings (ECs) formulated with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and beeswax. ECs were applied in in vivo curative experiments to plums artificially inoculated 24 h before with M. fructicola and incubated for up to 10 days at 20°C. The ECs formulated with 0.4% LG, 0.2% GE, and 0.5% MY were the most effective, with disease incidence reductions of up to 58% compared to the uncoated control. These ECs were selected and further evaluated to control brown rot and maintain postharvest quality of plums stored for up to 6 weeks at 1°C and 90% RH plus a shelf-life period of 4 days at 20°C. ECs formulated with GE and MY reduced brown rot incidence (percentage of infected fruit) by 45 and 70%, respectively, after 3 weeks, and brown rot severity (lesion size) by up to 50% after 6 weeks plus shelf life. Regarding fruit quality, all coated plums maintained higher firmness than uncoated control fruit and the 0.2% GE coating significantly reduced fruit weight loss after 6 weeks plus shelf life, without adversely aAecting the fruit physicochemical (titratable acidity, soluble solids content, and volatiles content) and sensory (overall flavor, off-flavors, firmness, and external aspect) quality. Moreover, all coated plums showed higher gloss than uncoated fruit. Overall, the HPMC-0.2% GE coating could be an eco-friendly alternative to reduce decay and maintain postharvest quality of plums during cold storage and shelf life.
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