Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits
From a ‘farm to fork’ perspective, there are several phases in the production chain of fruits and vegetables in which undesired microbial contaminations can attack foodstuff. In managing these diseases, harvest is a crucial point for shifting the intervention criteria. While in preharvest, pest mana...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Fermentation |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/7/2/60 |
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| author | Vincenzo Michele Sellitto Severino Zara Fabio Fracchetti Vittorio Capozzi Tiziana Nardi |
| author_facet | Vincenzo Michele Sellitto Severino Zara Fabio Fracchetti Vittorio Capozzi Tiziana Nardi |
| author_sort | Vincenzo Michele Sellitto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From a ‘farm to fork’ perspective, there are several phases in the production chain of fruits and vegetables in which undesired microbial contaminations can attack foodstuff. In managing these diseases, harvest is a crucial point for shifting the intervention criteria. While in preharvest, pest management consists of tailored agricultural practices, in postharvest, the contaminations are treated using specific (bio)technological approaches (physical, chemical, biological). Some issues connect the ‘pre’ and ‘post’, aligning some problems and possible solution. The colonisation of undesired microorganisms in preharvest can affect the postharvest quality, influencing crop production, yield and storage. Postharvest practices can ‘amplify’ the contamination, favouring microbial spread and provoking injures of the product, which can sustain microbial growth. In this context, microbial biocontrol is a biological strategy receiving increasing interest as sustainable innovation. Microbial-based biotools can find application both to control plant diseases and to reduce contaminations on the product, and therefore, can be considered biocontrol solutions in preharvest or in postharvest. Numerous microbial antagonists (fungi, yeasts and bacteria) can be used in the field and during storage, as reported by laboratory and industrial-scale studies. This review aims to examine the main microbial-based tools potentially representing sustainable bioprotective biotechnologies, focusing on the biotools that overtake the boundaries between pre- and postharvest applications protecting quality against microbial decay. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:25:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-534e444efe934f6199e07febfea6d618 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-5637 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:25:02Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fermentation |
| spelling | doaj.art-534e444efe934f6199e07febfea6d6182023-11-21T15:05:59ZengMDPI AGFermentation2311-56372021-04-01726010.3390/fermentation7020060Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and FruitsVincenzo Michele Sellitto0Severino Zara1Fabio Fracchetti2Vittorio Capozzi3Tiziana Nardi4Department of Agricultural Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Mihai I of Romania”, 119 Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale Italia 39, 07100 Sassari, ItalyMicrobion srl, Via Monte Carega 22, 37057 San Giovanni Lupatoto, ItalyNational Research Council—Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA) c/o CS-DAT, Via Michele Protano, 71121 Foggia, ItalyCREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Viticulture and Enology, Viale XXVIII Aprile 26, 31015 Conegliano, ItalyFrom a ‘farm to fork’ perspective, there are several phases in the production chain of fruits and vegetables in which undesired microbial contaminations can attack foodstuff. In managing these diseases, harvest is a crucial point for shifting the intervention criteria. While in preharvest, pest management consists of tailored agricultural practices, in postharvest, the contaminations are treated using specific (bio)technological approaches (physical, chemical, biological). Some issues connect the ‘pre’ and ‘post’, aligning some problems and possible solution. The colonisation of undesired microorganisms in preharvest can affect the postharvest quality, influencing crop production, yield and storage. Postharvest practices can ‘amplify’ the contamination, favouring microbial spread and provoking injures of the product, which can sustain microbial growth. In this context, microbial biocontrol is a biological strategy receiving increasing interest as sustainable innovation. Microbial-based biotools can find application both to control plant diseases and to reduce contaminations on the product, and therefore, can be considered biocontrol solutions in preharvest or in postharvest. Numerous microbial antagonists (fungi, yeasts and bacteria) can be used in the field and during storage, as reported by laboratory and industrial-scale studies. This review aims to examine the main microbial-based tools potentially representing sustainable bioprotective biotechnologies, focusing on the biotools that overtake the boundaries between pre- and postharvest applications protecting quality against microbial decay.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/7/2/60microbial antagonistsfoodfruitplantfilamentous fungimicrobial contamination |
| spellingShingle | Vincenzo Michele Sellitto Severino Zara Fabio Fracchetti Vittorio Capozzi Tiziana Nardi Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits Fermentation microbial antagonists food fruit plant filamentous fungi microbial contamination |
| title | Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits |
| title_full | Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits |
| title_fullStr | Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits |
| title_short | Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits |
| title_sort | microbial biocontrol as an alternative to synthetic fungicides boundaries between pre and postharvest applications on vegetables and fruits |
| topic | microbial antagonists food fruit plant filamentous fungi microbial contamination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/7/2/60 |
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