4. Conclusions
The innovative method of the combination of wax-EOs coating
reported in this paper was able to reduce lemon decay with efficacy
being similar to the imazalil. In addition, lemons coated with wax-
EOs showed moisture retention and thus lower weight losses and
maintaining fruit quality through lower colour changes and firmness
retention with respect to control fruits. With this technology
the use of chemical fungicides could be reduced since their combination
with EOs would lead to a better control of citrus decay by
pathogenic fungi. On the other hand, this technology could be
applied to organic fruit production, in which the use of chemical
fungicides is prohibited and the GRAS nature of EOs, although
further studies are necessary for evaluating the efficacy in organic
agriculture.
References