8.6
Insect Repellent Packaging
The critical step towards maintenance of safer food with increased shelf life is
packaging. However, the problem of insect infestation had been troubling the food
retailers and wholesalers. Infestation may occur during production, storage, or
transportation. In recent years, the research on insect repellent packaging is growing.
The efficacy of packaging materials incorporated with essential oils such as citronella, rosemary, and oregano was studied (Licciardello et al. 2013). Microencapsulation technique was used to encapsulate cinnamon oil in the packaging material
(Jo et al. 2015).
8.7
Constraints of Using Phytochemicals in Pest Management
The use of chemicals during storage is a regular practice used to keep the produce
free from insect infestation. Several research were conducted on phytochemicals to
use them as an alternative to chemicals. It was proven as an effective method at
laboratory scale. Yet, the use of phytochemicals at commercial scale is required.
Many problems were encountered during use of phytochemicals. Quantity of phytochemical required, their persistence in the environment, and effectiveness against
various stages of pests are to be considered. Phytochemical degrades more rapidly in
the environment than the chemicals and are slow in action. Hence, it is not feasible to
use it as a sole method.
8.8
Conclusion
There are 50,000 medicinal plants and botanicals available across the world. Yaseen
et al. (2019) reported that 59.37% out of 30,000 plants were documented to have
medicinal use present in the Royal botanical garden, Kew. Research and concerted
efforts are required to commercialise the use of phytochemicals as a tool in the
integrated pest management of stored product insects. Micro- and nanoencapsulation techniques can be used to encapsulate the phytochemicals and to
improve its release profile. Use of phytochemicals along with other biological
method aid in the safety of human health, well-being, and also sustainability of
ecosystem.
References
Ali S, Sagheer M, Hassan M, Abbas M, Hafeez F, Farooq M, Hussain D, Saleem M, Ghaffar A
(2014) Insecticidal activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and garlic (Allium sativum) extracts
against red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum: a safe alternative to insecticides in stored
commodities. J Entomol Zool Stud 2(3):201–205
Altemimi A, Lakhssassi N, Baharlouei A, Watson D, Lightfoot D (2017) Phytochemicals: extraction, isolation, and identification of bioactive compounds from plant extracts. Plan Theory 6
(4):42
8 Phytochemicals for the Management of Stored Product Insects
179
Insect Repellent Packaging
The critical step towards maintenance of safer food with increased shelf life is
packaging. However, the problem of insect infestation had been troubling the food
retailers and wholesalers. Infestation may occur during production, storage, or
transportation. In recent years, the research on insect repellent packaging is growing.
The efficacy of packaging materials incorporated with essential oils such as citronella, rosemary, and oregano was studied (Licciardello et al. 2013). Microencapsulation technique was used to encapsulate cinnamon oil in the packaging material
(Jo et al. 2015).
8.7
Constraints of Using Phytochemicals in Pest Management
The use of chemicals during storage is a regular practice used to keep the produce
free from insect infestation. Several research were conducted on phytochemicals to
use them as an alternative to chemicals. It was proven as an effective method at
laboratory scale. Yet, the use of phytochemicals at commercial scale is required.
Many problems were encountered during use of phytochemicals. Quantity of phytochemical required, their persistence in the environment, and effectiveness against
various stages of pests are to be considered. Phytochemical degrades more rapidly in
the environment than the chemicals and are slow in action. Hence, it is not feasible to
use it as a sole method.
8.8
Conclusion
There are 50,000 medicinal plants and botanicals available across the world. Yaseen
et al. (2019) reported that 59.37% out of 30,000 plants were documented to have
medicinal use present in the Royal botanical garden, Kew. Research and concerted
efforts are required to commercialise the use of phytochemicals as a tool in the
integrated pest management of stored product insects. Micro- and nanoencapsulation techniques can be used to encapsulate the phytochemicals and to
improve its release profile. Use of phytochemicals along with other biological
method aid in the safety of human health, well-being, and also sustainability of
ecosystem.
References
Ali S, Sagheer M, Hassan M, Abbas M, Hafeez F, Farooq M, Hussain D, Saleem M, Ghaffar A
(2014) Insecticidal activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and garlic (Allium sativum) extracts
against red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum: a safe alternative to insecticides in stored
commodities. J Entomol Zool Stud 2(3):201–205
Altemimi A, Lakhssassi N, Baharlouei A, Watson D, Lightfoot D (2017) Phytochemicals: extraction, isolation, and identification of bioactive compounds from plant extracts. Plan Theory 6
(4):42
8 Phytochemicals for the Management of Stored Product Insects
179