en Food safety and hygiene Original articles <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong><em>Introduction:</em></strong> The post-harvest damage to fruits is estimated to be about 10-30% of the total products, which reaches up to 30-50% in some perishable fruits. About 25 species of fungi and bacteria including<a href="https://www.google.com/search?cmient=fisefox-b-ab&q=genus+of+botrytis,+hn+particular+the+type+of+sinera,&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjohNbAlKvaAhVOJ1AKHbxKC8MQBQgjKAA&biw=1366&bih=654"> <em>Botrytis</em> spp. and in particular <em>Botrytis cinerea</em></a> are known to contaminate fruits, vegetables and ornamental greenhouse plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of different concentrations of<em> Zataria multiflora </em>essential oil (ZEO) against <em>B. cinerea</em>.<br> <strong><em>Materials and Methods:</em></strong> The ZEO was extracted through steam distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The strawberries packages were exposed to ZEO with different concentrations (0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 ppm) and satarch nanoparticles. The exposed fruits were kept for 24 days at two temperatures of 20&deg;C and 4&deg;C.<br> <strong><em>Results:</em></strong> The ZEO decreased <em>mycelium growth</em> even when only 200 ppm of it was added to each container. The response was dose-dependent, so that the 800 ppm dose of ZEO showed complete inhibitory effect. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values for ZEO against <em>B. cinerea</em> were 200 &micro;g/mL and 500 &micro;g/mL, respectively. Additionally, ZEO preserved the sensory characteristics.<br> <strong><em>Conclusion:</em></strong> The ZEO may be effectively used in packaging of strawberry to increase its shelf life by inhibition of<em> B. cinerea</em>.</div> Botrytis Cinerea, Antifungal Agents, Food Packaging, Nanoparticles, Zataria Multiflora. 1376 1387 http://jehsd.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-121-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Maryam Mobininejad mobini313313@gmail.com 0000-0002-5915-8238 No Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Elham Khalili Sadrabad khalili.elham@gmail.com 0000-0001-5309-3333 No Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Seyed Hossein Hekmatimoghaddam shhekmati2002@yahoo.com 0000-0001-9859-3753 No Department of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, School of Paramedicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Ali Jebali alijebal2011@gmail.com 0000-0001-1353-3864 No Medical Biotechnology Research Center, Ashkezar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ashkezar , Yazd, Iran. Aziz A. Fallah fallah.aziz55@yahoo.com 0000-0003-3292-7647 No Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran. Fateme Akrami Mohajeri fateme.akrami@gmail.com 0000-0002-8338-1464 Yes Zoonotic Diseases Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene and Safety, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.