Preservation of ‘Red Sun'kiwifruit fumigated with plant essential oil during cold storage

Cinnamon,pepper,star anise,thyme,clove,mint,mugwort essential oils were used as antimicrobial agents to act on the two pathogens separated and purified from the‘Red Sun'kiwifruits,then the essential oil with the best inhibitory effect was found out. The post- harvest physiology and quality of fruits treated with cinnamon essential oil were studied. In vitro,the cinnamon had a strong antifungal effect on Colletorichum acutatum and Botryosphaeria parva,and the minimum inhibitory concentration( MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration( MBC) of cinnamon all were 78.1μL/L.In vivo,the respiration rate for‘Red Sun'kiwifruit fumigated with cinnamon essential oil stored under low temperature was effectively inhibited; the changes of firmness,decay rate and weight- loss rate for fruits were suppressed; the change rate of soluble solids content( SSC),soluble sugar content,titratable acid content,and vitamin C( VC) content were reduced.The storage effect and quality were best for the fruits processed with 400μL / L cinnamon essential oil.