Peanut seed molds affected by chitosan loaded with different antimicrobial agents

Abstract

To prevent peanuts from being contaminated by fungal or bacterial toxins, particularly aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), during storage—factors that could adversely affect their quality and taste—this study investigated the effects of chitosan combined with various antimicrobial agents on peanut seed molds. Distilled water served as the control, while chitosan acted as the coating agent. By comparing the effects of different antimicrobial agents (natamycin, gallic acid, cinnamaldehyde, tea polyphenols, and lavender essential oil), we explored the feasibility of using chitosan as a carrier and its potential applications. Among the treatments, the chitosan-lavender essential oil group demonstrated exceptional performance in reducing insect pests, decreasing from 5.4 % in the control group to 1.82 % after 12 months of storage. The chitosan-natamycin group exhibited the best results across all other metrics, reducing AFB1 content from 60.33 μg/kg to 4.95 μg/kg compared to the control group. Additionally, seed germination improved from 52.33 % to 80.33 %, and the insect pest rate was comparable to that of the chitosan-lavender essential oil group at 1.83 %. Water content increased from 10.19 % to 15.17 %, and protein content rose from 15.70 % to 23.52 % after 12 months of storage. Chitosan-loaded antimicrobials effectively inhibited mold growth to varying degrees, with the chitosan-natamycin combination proving to be the most effective.