*3.9. Total Sugars*

The total sugar content of samples treated with ethanol, PMO, TTP, and control slightly increased during the storage time, while the concentration in samples treated with AsA did not change substantially (Supplementary Table S2). As shown in Figure 2D, samples treated with either ethanol or AsA maintained a higher total sugar than the control, but lower than the remaining treatments from day 9 and thereafter.

Samples treated with either PMO or TTO exhibited a higher total sugar content compared to the control and other treatments without a significant difference between them (Figure 2D).

#### *3.10. Mould, Yeast and Total Microbial Count*

Mould and yeast (MY) and total microbial count increased with increasing storage time (Supplementary Table S2). In this study, the samples treated with ethanol suppressed the MY and total microbial count until 12 d of storage (Table 2). Our study showed that samples treated with either PMO or TTO suppressed MY and total microbial count during storage until 9 d of storage.

**Table 2.** Effect of ethanol, ascorbic acid (AsA), peppermint oil (PMO), and tea tree oil (TTO) on mould and yeast and total count (log CFU/g) of fresh-cut green bean pods stored at 5 ◦C for 15 d. Data are mean of three replicates ± standard errors. Different letters indicate significant differences (Tukey test, *p* < 0.05%).


\* ND: not detected (there is no fungal growth found).

#### **4. Discussion**

*4.1. Chemical Composition of Essential Oils and Free Radical Scavenging*

The chemical composition of EOs agreed with Wu et al. [25], who stated that PMO mostly composed of monoterpenes and their derivatives. Vasile et al. [32] showed previously that the TTO contained both light monoterpenes and numerous sesquiterpenes, which are represented as the main component in 4-terpineol, followed by Alpha-Terpinene and Gamma-Terpinene. These were some of the important constituents of PMO and TTO in our results.

Our results indicated that PMO had higher radical scavenging activity than the results reported by others [25] who found that IC50 was recorded at 500 μL mL<sup>−</sup>1, which is a very high concentration compared to the concentration used in this study (50 μL mL<sup>−</sup>1). Variations in the antioxidant potential of EOs have been reported, primarily due to the presence of conjugated double bond compounds, which serve as hydrogen/electron donors [33]. PMO and TTO are also able to scavenge free radicals, which are harmful to the body because of their antioxidant function. TTO is also known for its therapeutic properties such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anticancer activity [34].
