Essential oil composition and antifungal activity of Melissa officinalis originating from north-Est Morocco, against postharvest phytopathogenic fungi in apples

To investigate biological control methods against post-harvest phytopathogenic fungi in apples, tests on the antifungal activity of essential oil of Melissa officinalis were carried out. The essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Analysis of the essential oil was able to detect 88.7% of the components. The main components are P-mentha-1,2,3-triol (13.1%), P-menth-3-en-8-ol (8.8%), pulegone (8.8%), piperitynone oxide (8.4%) and 2-piperitone oxide (7.3%). The determination of the antifungal activity of the essential oil of M. officinalisis carried out in vitro using the technique of poison food (PF) and the volatile activity test (VA). To carry out these two tests, three phytopathogens that cause the deterioration of apples have been selected: Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium expansum and Rhizopus stolonifer. The overall results of this study suggest that M. officinalis essential oil has potential as a bio-antifungal preservative for the control of post-harvest diseases of apple.