**6. Antimicrobial packaging using plant essential oils**

Challenges in applying EOs for microbial suppression in postharvest systems include optimizing their positioning in commercial fruit storage containers. One approach has been to dispense them from sachets (absorptive pads saturated with the plant EO) in the central of the packaging or enclosed towards it. Antimicrobic packaging in the form of antifungal sachet comprising of volatile constituents enclosed in them are the primary example of profitable packaging and are broadly used. Bioactivity of plant EO's vapor phase was known as a distinctive practice making them eye-catching against postharvest fungal rots in storage commodities [39].

To enhance the shelf life and promote market value of perishable fruits antimicrobial active packaging is of utmost importance. As it allows packaging material to interact directly with fruits for improving its quality [40]. Usually by adding a chemical compound in a deliberate way with specific antifungal ability into the packaging. Two major mechanisms may be applied in this regard, *viz.* internally in the packaging material during manufacturing, secondly in the headspace of the packaging as antimicrobial sachet during packaging [41, 42].

Other than antimicrobial packaging against postharvest fungal rots of perishable fruits it is pertinent to mention that fumigation with high concentration compounds was also applied as a postharvest treatment, where results showed water spots on external surface with browning and softening resulting in physiological damage. Many researchers argued that the same molecules at high concentrations may have adverse effects on climacteric fruit like peaches, leading to cell necrosis, and resulting in severe losses respectively [43]. Postharvest fungal rots *viz. F. semitectum, A. flavus*,

*A. alternata, F. semitectum, L. theobromae,* and *R. stolonifer* were controlled completely by using antifungal essential oil sachet.

The efficacy of EO's directly depend on the level of concentrations with significant alterations in dose dependent manner. Whereas the pathway of EO's mode of action against fungal postharvest rots might be related to their general capability of softening and dislocating the consistency of cell wall at various incubation temperatures [44].
