Postharvest hydrogen peroxide treatment inhibits decay in eggplant and sweet red pepper

Abstract Sanosil-25 is a universally applicable disinfectant compound that is highly effective against pathogenic bacteria, fungi, algae, viruses and amoebae. The compound contains 48% hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and 0.05% silver ion (Ag + ) as a stabilizing agent. The ED 50 for spore inhibition in vitro was 0.09% and 0.18% for Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata , respectively. Germination was completely inhibited at concentrations of 0.5% and 0.7% for B. cinerea and A. alternata , respectively. The ED 50 values for mycelial growth inhibition were 0.6% and 0.7% for B. cinerea and A. alternata , respectively, but for complete inhibition the effective concentrations were 1.5% and 2.0%. The effective exposure time of fungal spores was inversely related to the concentration used. Dipping commercially harvested eggplants and sweet red peppers in 0.5% Sanosil-25 reduced decay development after storage and shelf-life to a commercially acceptable level compared with an untreated control.