Antifungal activity of films and solutions based on chitosan against typical seed fungi

The use of eco-freindly polymers as antimicrobial materials is in growth due to the need to reduce the negative impact of conventional treatments on the environment and the human health. The purpose of the present study was to assess the antifungal properties of films and solutions based on chitosan with different molecular weight at different concentrations. Surfactants were added to the formulation to assess their impact on treatment efficiency. The antifungal activity was conducted against tree fungi, Aspergillus niger, Alternaria alternata and Rhizopus oryzae. Results indicated important and significant differences of the antifungal activity between chitosan based solutions and chitosan based films. Furthermore, the antifungal activity of the different treatment depended on the type of fungus treated. Thus, chitosan film treatments were significantly more effective on A. niger than solution treatments. On the other hand, solution treatments resulted in higher radial inhibition when applied against A. alternata or R. oryzae. The highest radial inhibition was observed against A. alternata (97%) using a chitosan solution. The influence of the other parameters (concentration, molecular weight and surfactant type) on treatment efficiency was not as important and their significance depended on treatment type and fungus nature.