Chemical Composition and Antifungal Activity of Coffee By-Products and Chitosan Incorporated into a Polymeric Matrix on Botrytis sp. and Rhizopus sp.

In blueberry commercialization, non-biodegradable synthetic plastic packaging is used for refrigerated storage to maintain the quality of the horticultural product. The fungi Botrytis sp. and Rhizopus sp. can cause significant losses at this stage. Consequently, the formula-tions and production of degradable polymeric based on polylactic acid (PLA)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) 60/40 (PP) with coffee parchment (CP), green coffee bean oil (GCBO), chitosan solution (Ch), chitosan nanoparticles (ChNp) and nanostructured coating (NC) were used to develop biodegradable polymer matrix (PM). Caffeine and hexadecanoic acid were identified as major compounds in GCBO, and the major compounds in CP were flavonoids, terpenes and lignans. The 100% of mycelial growth inhibition was observed with 1, 2 and 3% of GCBO, to Botrytis sp. and 20% Ch, 10 and 20% ChNp, 20% NC on Botrytis sp. and Rhizopus sp.; the GCBO inhibited 100% of spore production in both fungi at all evaluated doses. In the in vivo tests, for Botrytis sp. a lower incidence of 30% and a severity of 20% was obtained with the treatment of NC compared to the control. For Rhizopus sp., an incidence of 55% and a severity of 10% were observed with NC. The PM in the culture medium presented a fungistatic effect. The greatest inhibition of mycelial growth (63%) on Botrytis sp. was with PLA/PBAT+Nano coating (PP+NC) and (100%) was observed with PM+CW made with PLA/PBAT+CP+NC (PPCP+NC), PP and PP+NC on Rhizopus sp. Coffee by-products and PM have potential as natural fungicides for the control of postharvest fungi in fruits and vegetables.