Open Access

ARTICLE

Ultrasound-Assisted Hydrothermal Treatment in Combination with Chitosan for Fungal Control of Botrytis cinerea

Surelys Ramos-Bell¹, Edson Rayón-Díaz¹, Juan A. Herrera-González², Estefanía Martínez-Batista¹, Rita M. Velázquez-Estrada¹, Porfirio Gutiérrez–Martínez^1,*

1 Laboratorio Integral de Investigación en Alimentos, Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic, Avenida Tecnológico #2595, Col. Lagos del Country, Tepic, 63175, Nayarit, México
2 Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Campo Experimental Uruapan, Av. Latinoamericana 1101, Col. Revolución, Uruapan, 60150, Michoacán, Mexico

* Corresponding Author: Porfirio Gutiérrez–Martínez. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in the Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular Mechanisms Regulating Fruit Ripening in Tropical Fruits)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(10), 3145-3156. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.071543

Received 07 August 2025; Accepted 10 September 2025; Issue published 29 October 2025

Abstract

A significant portion of losses in the fruit and vegetable sector are caused by the necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea, due to its high prevalence in over 1000 crop species. Identifying a technology capable of exclusively inhibiting its growth and development remains challenging; therefore, various treatments have been proposed to act synergistically in preventing the spread of this pathogen. The objective of this study was to evaluate an ultrasound-assisted treatment combined with chitosan to control the development of B. cinerea. In vitro analyses showed that combining temperature, ultrasound, and chitosan inhibited the fungal radial growth by 80%, reduced sporulation, and decreased germination. Electrolyte leak analysis indicated damage to the B. cinerea cell wall, causing intracellular material to escape into the environment. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy images also revealed severe structural damage, including loss of the cytoplasmic membrane and cell lysis.

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Keywords

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