POSTHARVEST HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE TREATMENT INHIBITS DECAY IN EGGPLANT AND SWEET RED-PEPPER

Sanosil-25 is a universally applicable disinfectant compound that is h ighly effective against pathogenic bacteria, fungi, algac, viruses and amoebae. The compound contains 48% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and 0.05% silver ion (Ag+) as a stabilizing agent. The ED50 for spore inhibitio n in vitro was 0.09% and 0.18% for Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alt ernata, respectively. Germination was completely inhibited at concentr ations of 0.5% and 0.7% for B. cinerea and A. alternata, respectively. The ED50 values for mycelial growth inhibition were 0.6% and 0.7% for B. cinerea and A. alternata, respectively, but for complete inhibitio n the effective concentrations were 1.5% and 2.0%. The effective expos ure time of fungal spores was inversely related to the concentration u sed. Dipping commercially harvested eggplants and sweet red peppers in 0.5% Sanosil-25 reduced decay development after storage and shelf-lif e to a commercially acceptable level compared with an untreated contro l.