Sodium alginate coating of Ginkgo biloba leaves extract containing phenylpropanoids as an ecofriendly preserving agent to maintain the quality of peach fruit

Plant constituents are of great interest in the food processing industry as potential natural preservative agents for controlling foodborne pathogens. In this study, the 95% EtOH/H2 O extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves was separated using polarity extraction solvents with petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA), n-butanol (nB), and water (W) by the principle of similarity and compatibility. Through TLC and NMR analysis of these extracts, it can be concluded that the main component of PE extract were organic acids, for EA extract were flavonoids, for nB extract were phenylpropanoids, and water extract were oligosaccharides. Twelve monomer compounds were separated from the extracts to verify the composition of each extraction stage. Results of morphological and molecular identification revealed that Monilinia fructicola and Rhizopus stolonifer were the main fungi causing peach rot. After evaluating the antifungal activity and peach quality of the four extract/sodium alginate coatings, it was found that the n-butanol extract/sodium alginate coating containing phenylpropanoids had the lowest decay index and the best preservation effect, providing a sustainable alternative to reduce the harm to the environment of synthetic preservatives. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The abuse of synthetic preservatives poses a threat to the ecological environment and physical health. Therefore, this study developed sodium alginate coating of Ginkgo biloba leaves extract containing phenylpropanoids, which has good effects on the preservation of peaches. The agent is a promising environmentally friendly alternative for synthetic preservatives.