Characterization and antimicrobial activity of Lippia alba plant extract in the control of papaya anthracnose

Abstract

The Lippia alba is a medicinal plant widely used in Brazil, due to its molecular properties. The objective of this study was to characterize the phenolic compounds of the plant extract of Lippia alba, also evaluating the antifungal potential for controlling anthracnose in papaya production, caused by the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The extract was characterized by spectrometry UV-VIS and high-performance liquid chromatography HPLC-DAD, determining the content of polyphenols and total flavonoids (TPC/TFC) and the metabolite fractions. When evaluating antifungal activity, a count of molds and yeasts was determined after contact with the extract. The results demonstrated the biochemical profile, with emphasis on quercetin, catechin, ellagic acid, gallic acid and sinapic acid, allowing these findings to be correlated with the absence of macroscopic fungal growth, demonstrating the effectiveness of the extract in its antifungal potential. Therefore, this study supports the finding of alternative methods to control fungal growth in the fruit.