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Postharvest Quality and Control of Microbial Decay in Horticultural Produce
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Postharvest Quality and Control of Microbial Decay in Horticultural Produce

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 10960

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Manuel Joaquín Serradilla

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Postharvest Science, Agrifood Technological Institute of Extremadura (INTAEX-CICYTEX), Junta de Extremadura, Avda. Adolfo Suárez s/n, 06007 Badajoz, Spain
Interests: storage anthocyanins; processing packaging; fruit science; postharvest handling; postharvest physiology; postharvest physicochemical; food safety
Dr. M. Carmen Alamar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Plant Science Laboratory, Cranfield University, MK43 0AL, UK
Interests: postharvest physiology and biochemistry; fruit ripening and senescence; food quality; food safety; food waste; metabolomics; vis-NIR spectroscopy; chemometrics
Prof. Dr. Lluís Palou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Postharvest Research Center, Valencian Institute of Agrarian Research (IVIA), 46113 Valencia, Spain
Interests: postharvest pathology of horticultural produce; alternatives to conventional fungicides; integrated disease management; food additives; biological control; fungal infection; postharvest technology; fruit quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Fruit and vegetable consumption needs to double to deliver human health requirements. Horticultural produce has a high content in bioactive compounds with known health promoting properties, and they are appreciated by consumers for their organoleptic properties.

Fruit and vegetables are highly perishable and account for 45% of the global food loss and waste. Their high metabolism may result in premature senescence and limited shelf life. Understanding the ripening and senescence mechanisms of horticultural produce is, therefore, crucial for the development of both innovative and sustainable technologies and strategies with minimal environmental impact, including carbon footprint.

Another major factor contributing to food loss and waste, and which negatively affects the nutritional and physiological quality of fresh produce, is the horticultural spoilage and decay caused by microbial pathogens. These include fungal genera such as Penicillium, Aspergillus, Botrytis, Monilinia, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Rhizopus and Geotrichum, as well as other microorganisms such as bacteria and yeasts. Traditionally, this issue has been tackled by applying synthetic chemical pesticides, particularly fungicides. However, current market demands are pushing for fresh produce free of chemical pesticide residues. In this context, it will be necessary to explore biological, physical and natural and food-grade alternatives for the control of postharvest diseases.

Original articles or reviews with new findings including but not limited to the following topics are welcome:

  • Intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting postharvest quality and microbial decay;
  • Microbiological impact on fresh produce quality and safety;
  • Postharvest ripening and senescence mechanisms;
  • Pre- and postharvest strategies for the reduction of postharvest physiological and microbiological disorders;
  • Predictive microbiology;
  • Microbial risk assessment.

Dr. Manuel Joaquín Serradilla

Dr. M. Carmen Alamar
Prof. Dr. Lluís Palou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • horticultural produce quality
  • postharvest diseases
  • fungicide-free control
  • antifungal activity
  • biocontrol agents
  • elicitors
  • phytohormones

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 1041 KiB  
Article
Natural Pectin-Based Edible Composite Coatings with Antifungal Properties to Control Green Mold and Reduce Losses of ‘Valencia’ Oranges
by María Victoria Alvarez, Lluís Palou, Verònica Taberner, Asunción Fernández-Catalán, Maricruz Argente-Sanchis, Eleni Pitta and María Bernardita Pérez-Gago
Foods 2022, 11(8), 1083; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11081083 - 09 Apr 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2155
Abstract
Novel pectin-based, antifungal, edible coatings (ECs) were formulated by the addition of natural extracts or essential oils (EOs), and their ability to control green mold (GM), caused by Penicillium digitatum, and preserve postharvest quality of ‘Valencia’ oranges was evaluated. Satureja montana, [...] Read more.
Novel pectin-based, antifungal, edible coatings (ECs) were formulated by the addition of natural extracts or essential oils (EOs), and their ability to control green mold (GM), caused by Penicillium digitatum, and preserve postharvest quality of ‘Valencia’ oranges was evaluated. Satureja montana, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (CN), Commiphora myrrha (MY) EOs, eugenol (EU), geraniol (GE), vanillin, and propolis extract were selected as the most effective antifungal agents against P. digitatum in in vitro assays. Pectin-beeswax edible coatings amended with these antifungals were applied to artificially inoculated oranges to evaluate GM control. ECs containing GE (2 g/kg), EU (4 and 8 g/kg), and MY EO (15 g/kg) reduced disease incidence by up to 58% after 8 days of incubation at 20 °C, while CN (8 g/kg) effectively reduced disease severity. Moreover, ECs formulated with EU (8 g/kg) and GE (2 g/kg) were the most effective on artificially inoculated cold-stored oranges, with GM incidence reductions of 56 and 48% after 4 weeks at 5 °C. Furthermore, ECs containing EU and MY reduced weight loss and maintained sensory and physicochemical quality after 8 weeks at 5 °C followed by 7 days at 20 °C. Overall, ECs with EU were the most promising and could be a good natural, safe, and eco-friendly commercial treatment for preserving orange postharvest quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Quality and Control of Microbial Decay in Horticultural Produce)
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17 pages, 2609 KiB  
Article
Identification of the Causal Agent of Aqueous Spot Disease of Sweet Cherries (Prunus avium L.) from the Jerte Valley (Cáceres, Spain)
by Manuel Joaquín Serradilla, Carlos Moraga, Santiago Ruiz-Moyano, Paula Tejero, María de Guía Córdoba, Alberto Martín and Alejandro Hernández
Foods 2021, 10(10), 2281; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10102281 - 26 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2822
Abstract
The pre and postharvest disease named ‘aqueous spot’ is an emerging risk for sweet cherries growing in Jerte Valley (Cáceres, Spain). Early stages of the disease appear in the tree, but it is usually detected after harvesting, during the postharvest period. Symptoms include [...] Read more.
The pre and postharvest disease named ‘aqueous spot’ is an emerging risk for sweet cherries growing in Jerte Valley (Cáceres, Spain). Early stages of the disease appear in the tree, but it is usually detected after harvesting, during the postharvest period. Symptoms include the appearance of skin discolouration and translucency in the shoulder areas. At the most advanced stages, a mycelium of white colour partially or completely covers the fruit. This manuscript provides a detailed description of the microbes involved in this disease, such as bacteria, yeasts, and moulds. Microbes of different cherry cultivars were studied during two consecutive seasons (2019 and 2020). The counts of bacteria and yeast in damaged tissues were higher (7.05 and 6.38 log10 CFU/g for total aerobic mesophilic microbes and yeasts, respectively) than sound tissues (6.08 and 5.19 log10 CFU/g, respectively). The Enterobacterales order dominated the bacteria population. Among yeasts, Yarrowia lipolytica, in 2019, and Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Metschnikowia viticola, in 2020, were consistently isolated from all samples. The presence of moulds was inconsistently detected at the early stage of this disease by plate counts. However, microscopic observations revealed the presence of hyphae in cherry flesh. Different pathogenic moulds were identified, although white mycelium, identified as Botrytis cinerea by molecular methods, was consistently isolated at later stages. Inoculation tests confirmed the involvement of white-mycelium B. cinerea in the development of this new postharvest disease in the Jerte Valley. Its combination with Enterobacterales enhanced the evolution of rotting, whereas the combination with yeasts decreased and delayed the symptoms. This work presents the first report of a consortia of microorganisms implicated in the development of ‘aqueous spot’, an emerging disease in sweet cherry cultivars in the Jerte Valley. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Quality and Control of Microbial Decay in Horticultural Produce)
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19 pages, 3791 KiB  
Article
Albedo- and Flavedo-Specific Transcriptome Profiling Related to Penicillium digitatum Infection in Citrus Fruit
by María Teresa Lafuente, Paco Romero and Luis González-Candelas
Foods 2021, 10(9), 2196; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10092196 - 16 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2247
Abstract
Penicillium digitatum is the main postharvest pathogen of citrus fruit. Although the inner fruit peel part (albedo) is less resistant than the outer part (flavedo) to P. digitatum, the global mechanisms involved in their different susceptibility remain unknown. Here, we examine transcriptome [...] Read more.
Penicillium digitatum is the main postharvest pathogen of citrus fruit. Although the inner fruit peel part (albedo) is less resistant than the outer part (flavedo) to P. digitatum, the global mechanisms involved in their different susceptibility remain unknown. Here, we examine transcriptome differences between both tissues at fruit harvest and in their early responses to infection. At harvest, not only was secondary metabolism, involving phenylpropanoids, waxes, and terpenoids, generally induced in flavedo vs. albedo, but also energy metabolism, transcription factors (TFs), and biotic stress-related hormones and proteins too. Flavedo-specific induced responses to infection might be regulated in part by ERF1 TF, and are related to structural plant cell wall reinforcement. Other induced responses may be related to H2O2, the synthesis of phenylpropanoids, and the stress-related proteins required to maintain basal defense responses against virulent pathogens, whereas P. digitatum represses some hydrolase-encoding genes that play different functions and auxin-responsive genes in this peel tissue. In infected albedo, the repression of transport and signal transduction prevail, as does the induction of not only the processes related to the synthesis of flavonoids, indole glucosinolates, cutin, and oxylipins, but also the specific genes that elicit plant immunity against pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Quality and Control of Microbial Decay in Horticultural Produce)
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17 pages, 11444 KiB  
Article
Postharvest Treatments with Sulfur-Containing Food Additives to Control Major Fungal Pathogens of Stone Fruits
by Victoria Martínez-Blay, Verònica Taberner, María B. Pérez-Gago and Lluís Palou
Foods 2021, 10(9), 2115; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10092115 - 07 Sep 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2332
Abstract
The sulfur-containing salts, classified as food additives, sodium metabisulfite (SMBS), potassium metabisulfite (PMBS), aluminum sulfate (AlS), and aluminum potassium sulfate (AlPS), were evaluated for their activity against Monilinia fructicola, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Geotrichum candidum, the most economically important fungal pathogens [...] Read more.
The sulfur-containing salts, classified as food additives, sodium metabisulfite (SMBS), potassium metabisulfite (PMBS), aluminum sulfate (AlS), and aluminum potassium sulfate (AlPS), were evaluated for their activity against Monilinia fructicola, Rhizopus stolonifer, and Geotrichum candidum, the most economically important fungal pathogens causing postharvest disease of stone fruit. In in vitro tests with potato dextrose agar (PDA) Petri dishes amended with different concentrations of the salts (0, 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100 mM), SMBS and PMBS at all concentrations, AlS above 20 mM, and AlPS above 30 mM, completely inhibited the mycelial growth of the three fungi after incubation at 25 °C for up to 10 days. In in vivo primary screenings with artificially inoculated nectarines, aqueous solutions of the four salts reduced the incidence and severity of brown rot (BR) at concentrations of 10 and 50 mM, whereas only AlS and AlPS reduced Rhizopus rot (RR), and none of the salts was effective against sour rot (SR). Solutions at 100 mM were phytotoxic and injured the fruit peel. In small-scale trials, 1 min dip treatments at 20 °C in SMBS or PMBS at 10 mM significantly reduced the incidence and severity of BR after incubation at 20 °C for up to 8 days. Conversely, dips in AlS and AlPS reduced neither BR nor RR. Results highlight the potential of SMBS and PMBS as new nonpolluting tools for the integrated control of BR, but not RR and SR, on stone fruit. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Postharvest Quality and Control of Microbial Decay in Horticultural Produce)
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