Effectiveness of electrolysed water to sanitise citrus fruits - the salt matters

The commonly used postharvest control methods,?including fungicide application, are facing increasing challenges.?Electrolysed water was developed as alternative?method to sanitise fresh fruits and vegetables and to control postharvest pathogens. In this study, the biocidal effect?of acidic (acEW) and alkaline (alEW) electrolysed water?was assessed against Penicillium digitatum, P. italicum?and P. ulaiense causing green, blue and whisker moulds,?respectively. Level of free chlorine has shown the strongest?association with reduction of pathogenic unites, followed?by ORP and then pH. The effect of salt solutions alone?and in combination with acEW and alEW was assessed in?vitro by estimating colony forming units recovered on PDA?substrate and in vivo by estimating disease incidence and?lesion diameter. Salt solutions used were potassium bicarbonate, potassium?sorbate, sodium silicate, EDTA-Fe, EDTA-Ca, sodium bicarbonate,?sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium?phosphate dibasic, potassium dihydrogen phosphate,?ammonium molybdate, sodium metabisulphite and sodium?chloride. The results support the effectiveness of alEW and?acEW in inactivating pathogenic units, particularly when?combined with salt solutions of ammonium molybdate,?sodium metabisulphite, potassium sorbate, then potassium?and sodium carbonate. SourceEVALUATION OF ALKALINE AND ACIDIC ELECTROLYSED?WATER ON CONTROLLING POSTHARVEST GREEN, BLUEAND WHISKER MOULDS OF CITRUSHussien A1, Ahmed Y2, Al-Essawy A2 & Youssef K21Central Administration of Plant Quarantine, Ministry of?Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Dokki, Egypt; 1Nadi?ElSaid St., Dokki, Giza, Egypt; 2Agricultural Research Center,?Plant Pathology Research Institute, Giza, Egypt; e-mail:?youssefeladawy@arc.sci.egInternational Citrus Congress 2016?Picture show Agrineo, an equipment to electrolyse water, by WaterDiam