Effect of savory essential oil, edible coating and hot water on the physicochemical properties of Mexican lime peel inoculated with Penicillium digitatum

The most important cause of green mold rot in Mexican lime fruit is the Penicillium species, particularly P. digitatum. Penicillium mycelia enter the fruit through surface lesions and punctures and deteriorate fruit. This study was carried out to control green mold using savory essential oil extracted after drying using Clevenger apparatus by the hydro-distillation method. In this experiment, fruit inoculated by spores were treated with savory essential oil (800 and 1000 µL L^‑1), and edible coating of gum Arabic (2.5 and 5%) or dipped in hot water (40 and 50°C) and water (20°C as control) treatment for 5 min with three replications. The treated fruit was packaged in polyethylene bags and kept at 8°C and 85% RH for 4 weeks. The lowest amount of polyphenol oxidase enzyme was found in fruit treated with savory essential oil (800 µL L^‑1) followed by other treatments compared to control. The maximum lightness (L*) and chlorophyll were found in fruits treated with hot water. The maximum chromacity was found in fruits treated with savory essential oil and hot water, respectively. These treatments delayed the changes of fruit color. Overall, the least decay rate was found in fruit treated with hot water.