RT article T1 Antifungal Starch–Gellan Edible Coatings with Thyme Essential Oil for the Postharvest Preservation of Apple and Persimmon A1 Sapper, Mayra A1 Palou, Lluís A1 Pérez-Gago, María B. A1 Chiralt, Amparo K1 Gellan K1 Thyme essential oil K1 Fruits K1 A Agriculture K1 Edible coatings K1 Cassava starch K1 Antifungal agents AB Starch–gellan (80:20) coating formulations were applied to apples and persimmons to analyse their effectiveness controlling the weight loss, respiration rate, fruit firmness, and fungal decay during postharvest. Thyme essential oil (EO) was incorporated (0.25 and 0.5 g per g of polymer) directly or encapsulated in lecithin to enhance antifungal action. Coatings did not reduce weight loss or firmness changes in apples, but they prevented water loss in persimmons. In contrast, no significant effect of the coatings was observed on the respiration rates and the respiration quotient of persimmons, whereas the respiration rates and quotient was increased in apples. On the other hand, the coatings without lecithin reduced the incidence and severity of black spot caused by Alternaria alternata in persimmons, regardless of the content of essential oil. Likewise, these reduced the severity of gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in apples. No positive effect of lecithin in coatings was observed on the postharvest quality and decay in either apples or persimmons, nor did EO exert antifungal action despite its proven effectiveness in in vitro tests. PB MDPI SN 2079-6412 YR 2019 FD 2019 LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6267 UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/6267 LA en_US NO Sapper, M.; Palou, L.; Pérez-Gago, M.B.; Chiralt, A. 2019. Antifungal Starch–Gellan Edible Coatings with Thyme Essential Oil for the Postharvest Preservation of Apple and Persimmon. Coatings, 9, 333. DS MINDS@UW RD Apr 19, 2021