In the present study, a total of 21 natural or synthetic small-molecule organic acids were selected and determined for their activity against postharvest gray mold caused by B. cinerea. Overall, cuminic acid, which was extracted from the seed of Cuminum cyminum L, showed the most promising antifungal activity against B. cinerea both in vitro and in vivo. The study on action mechanism showed that cuminic acid could inhibit the development of sclerotia and the secretion of oxalic acid, destroy the cell membrane integrity, and down regulate the expression of several key genes involved in sclerotia development and pathogenicity of B. cinerea. Furthermore, cuminic acid could potentially reduce the degradation of TSS and TA content, while it had no significant effect on the weight loss, firmness, and VC content of apple and tomato. Importantly, cuminic acid could enhance the antioxidant enzyme activities of the fruits. All these results demonstrate the antifungal activity and highlight the great potential of cuminic acid as an alternative environmental-friendly agent for the control of postharvest gray mold both on fruits and vegetables.

在本研究中，总共选择了 21 种天然或合成的小分子有机酸，并确定了它们对B. cinerea引起的采后灰霉病的活性。总体而言，从Cuminum cyminum L种子中提取的孜然酸在体外和体内均显示出最有希望的抗灰霉病菌活性。在作用机制研究表明，香豆酸能抑制菌核的发展和草酸的分泌，破坏细胞膜的完整性，并且下调所涉及的菌核发展和致病性的几个关键基因的表达灰霉病. 此外，孜然酸可能会减少 TSS 和 TA 含量的降解，而对苹果和番茄的失重、硬度和 VC 含量没有显着影响。重要的是，孜然酸可以增强水果的抗氧化酶活性。所有这些结果都证明了抗真菌活性，并强调了孜然酸作为一种替代的环保剂，用于控制水果和蔬菜上的采后灰霉病的巨大潜力。 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .