Post harvest control

Abstract

Harvested fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains harbour a very reach microbiota that influence their shelf-life, quality and safety for human consumption. Spoilage due to fungal or bacterial rot, mycotoxin production and contamination by food-borne human bacterial pathogens are within the main problems of harvest products that are consumed fresh. Control of these problems is currently done by conventional methods of sanitation, disinfection or treatment with chemical fungicides. Biological control of postharvest problems can be achieved with certain strains of antagonistic viruses, bacteria, yeast and fungi. The mechanisms of action are very diverse, and several mechanisms may act simultaneously. Mechanisms include competition for nutrients and niches, antibiosis by means of antimicrobials and lytic enzymes, inhibitory volatile metabolites, pH decrease, parasitism, and induction of defence responses in the harvested plant product. Several commercial products containing strains of biological control agents are available as an alternative or complement to chemicals for postharvest rot control.