Eco-Friendly Low-Cost Insecticidal Formulation Extracted from Orange Peel Essential Oil and ZnO Nanoparticles against Triboliumcastaneum

El-Bakry, Ahmed M.; Ibrahim, Faten M.; Abdelmaksoud, Nasr M.; Sammour, Elham A.; Abdel-Aziz, Nahed F.; El Habbasha, El Sayed

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2024.293365.9778

Eco-Friendly Low-Cost Insecticidal Formulation Extracted from Orange Peel Essential Oil and ZnO Nanoparticles against Triboliumcastaneum

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Pests and Plant Protection, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, P.O. Box 12622, Egypt.

² Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo P.O. Box 12622, Egypt

³ Field Crops Research Department, Agricultural and Biological Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo, P.O. Box 12622, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2024.293365.9778

Abstract

This study investigated the insecticidal potential of Citrus sinensis (L.) essential oil derived from orange peels, its emulsifiable concentrate (EC), and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles alone and in combination with C. sinensis oil against Tribolium castaneum (Herbst). GC/MS analysis of orange peel oil identified 31 compounds, with limonene (45.8%), α-pinene (16.38%), β-pinene (10.49), and γ-terpinene (10.01%) being the most prevalent. EC formulation of C. sinensis oil exhibited good emulsion stability and foam formation, with a separation layer of 1 mL and foam formation of 2 mL. Characterizations of prepared nanoparticles revealed mean sizes of 433.2 nm for zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and 458.4 nm for ZnO-oil nanoparticles. Toxicity assays demonstrated that both C. sinensis essential oil and its EC formulation exhibited insecticidal activity against T. castaneum, with LC50 values of 0.246 and 0.215 g/kg, respectively. ZnO with essential oil NPs formulation achieved 100% mortality at lower concentrations and shorter exposure times than ZnO NPs alone or bulk ZnO. These findings suggest that C. sinensis waste, specifically the peel, can be effectively utilized as a source of natural insecticides. The combination of essential oil and ZnO nanoparticles, showcasing synergistic effects, presents a promising approach for developing sustainable and environmentally friendly pest control solutions for stored grains.

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