Antifungal activity of nanoemulsions and mycosinthetized nanoparticles from Trichoderma harzianum against Penicillium digitatum

FERREIRA, FLAVIA VANINA; MUSUMECI, MATÍAS ALEJANDRO; BELLO, FERNANDO

Congreso; XVII Congreso Argentino de Microbiología General; 2022

Penicillium digitatum is a filamentous fungus that infects citrus fruits and causes rots known as green mould. The fruits are more susceptible to this infection during handling in packing facilities and storage rooms, given that injuries are produced on the surface, which are further colonized by the pathogen. The decays caused by P. digitatum result in significant production losses; therefore, strategies aimed to control this fungus are highly relevant. The application of synthetic fungicides is the mainly applied approach to control P. digitatum. However, the intensive usage of fungicides has led to the proliferation of P. digitatum strains with resistance to one or more fungicides. Besides, this practice poses a risk for the human health produces soil and water pollution and is incompatible with the organic market. These concerns demand alternative approaches, which must be harmless to human and environmental health and fulfil the restrictions of different countries regarding to limit values of chemical residues on fruits. Biological control and natural bioactive compounds are promising alternatives to the control of post-harvest decays and may contribute to sustainable production of citrus. The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential of different nanoparticules to control P. digitatum growth.Fungal biosynthesis of nanoparticles is a promising approach for sustainable control of crops phytopathogens. In this work Ag, Cu and Zn nanoparticles were biosynthetized using cell filtrates of Trichoderma harzianum as a reducer and stabilizer agent. The effectivity of the nanoparticles to reduce the mycelial growth of P. digitatum was assayed. The capability of bioactive compounds presents in the essential oils of vegetal sources to inhibit the growth of P. digitatum was also evaluated. Carvacrol, Thymol and Cinnamaldehyde were stabilized in complexes with ovalbumin and egg white protein nanoparticles to promote its application in aqueous media. Physicochemical features of complexes were characterized. Their antifungal activities against P. digitatum were determined. This study provides alternative approaches to chemical fungicides for the control of green mould.