Actividad de recubrimientos de quitosano, nanopartículas de quitosano y ZnO contra hongos aislados e identificados molecularmente de frutas con potencial de exportación en la zona norte del Perú

Post-harvest losses of export fruits cause considerable economic reductions, being fungal action one of the main causes. To control these, fungicides are used, many of which have high toxicity and residual power. The search for alternatives to their use becomes an important research topic. The objective of this research was to evaluate coatings based on chitosan, chitosan and ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to inhibit fungi isolated from fruits with export potential in northern Peru. Firstly, fungi were isolated and identified, molecularly based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene. From blueberry, lemon, grape and golden berry. Chitosan coatings were prepared, with different concentrations of chitosan and ZnO nanoparticles. These coatings were evaluated in vitro on some of the isolated fungi using the inhibition zone technique. The prepared coatings showed antifungal effect against Alternaria Alternata (blueberry), Aspergillus tubingensis (lemon), Aspergillus niger (lemon), Thielaviopsis ethacetica (lemon) and Aspergillus niger (golden berry). It was determined that the concentration of chitosan NPs had no effect on the antifungal capacity of the coatings, while the ZnO NPs did have a directly proportional effect. Coatings based on chitosan and chitosan and ZnO NPs have potential for use as antifungal agents in fruits for exportation.