Lactic Acid Bacteria Incorporated into Edible Coatings to Control Fungal Growth and Maintain Postharvest Quality of Grapes

Abstract

<jats:p>Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been shown to prevent the growth and activity of several postharvest pathogen fungi in fruit and vegetables because of their ability to produce antimicrobial metabolites. Edible coatings (ECs) can be used as carriers of LAB and could provide an alternative natural preservation method. The effectiveness of <jats:italic>Lactobacillus plantarum</jats:italic> against fungal decay on grapes applied together with EC was studied. Different formulations with or without <jats:italic>L. plantarum</jats:italic> were considered, using pregelatinized potato starch (PS) or sodium caseinate (NaC) as main components of the coating matrices. In some of the formulations, oleic acid (OA) was added as a surfactant. The population dynamics of the bacterium and its ability to control fungal decay were studied together with the assessment of fruit quality. NaC-based formulations improved survival of <jats:italic>L. plantarum</jats:italic> on fruit surface after 7 days of storage in comparison with a water control. On the other hand, <jats:italic>L. plantarum</jats:italic> in PS-based formulation without OA reduced Botrytis incidence more than when applied in NaC formulation or in water. Coatings had little effect on berry quality (weight, color, firmness, and soluble solids content) of grapes throughout storage, although some of the coated samples maintained acidity and maturity index during storage better than others. Therefore, LAB applied in ECs could provide a viable biocontrol method for postharvest disease in grapes.</jats:p>

Effects of Lacto-Fermented Agricultural By-Products as a Natural Disinfectant against Post-Harvest Diseases of Mango (Mangifera indica L.)

“…The fruit groups had different treatments, including group 1 (PKC + L. plantarum ATCC8014), group 2 (PKC + L. fermentum ATCC9338), group 3 (PP + L. plantarum ATCC8014), group 4 (PP + L. fermentum ATCC9338), group 5 (sterilized distilled water as the negative control), and group 6 (100 mg L −1 sodium hypochlorite as the positive control [ 67 ]). 0.2% ( v/v ) tween 20 was added for all CFS samples as a surfactant to improve the adhesion activity [ 9 ]. All of the treatments were applied by spraying equally for 30 s on each mango fruit individually [ 68 ].…”

“…Bio-preservation is a promising alternative technique that is applied to control the growth of fungi and it is safe for consumers and the environment. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and/or their metabolites applied as natural disinfectant have shown promising results, extending the shelf life as well as improving the quality and sensory properties of the crop [ 9 , 10 ]. The ability of LABs to inhibit fungi growth is due to the production of a broad range of primary and secondary antifungal compounds, such as organic acids, fatty acids, and antifungal peptides [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

“…The ability of LABs to inhibit fungi growth is due to the production of a broad range of primary and secondary antifungal compounds, such as organic acids, fatty acids, and antifungal peptides [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Marín et al [ 9 ] observed that L. plantarum significantly reduced the Botrytis cinerea incidence of grapes. L. paracasei and L. plantarum that were isolated from different fruit and vegetables control the growth of Colletotrichum capsici in chili peppers [ 14 ].…”

Films of Chitosan and Aloe vera for Maintaining the Viability and Antifungal Activity of Lactobacillus paracasei TEP6

“…In the last two decades, several studies have demonstrated the ability of LAB to inhibit the growth of fungi that cause food spoilage, as in the case of Penicillium expansum [4] and other phytopathogenic fungi [5,6]. Recently, the isolation of the LAB Lactobacillus paracasei TEP6 from tepache was reported, and it was demonstrated to possess strong antifungal activity against the fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, which causes anthracnose in papaya [7].…”

Optimization of antifungal edible pregelatinized potato starch-based coating formulations by response surface methodology to extend postharvest life of ‘Orri’ mandarins

“…On the other hand, starch-based coatings are suitable for gaining new functionalities through the incorporation into the formulations of additional ingredients. For example, starch ECs formulated with active antifungal ingredients such as essential oils (Sapper et al, 2019), natamycin-cyclodextrin complex (Yang et al, 2019), lactic acid bacteria (Marín et al, 2019), and GRAS salts like potassium sorbate (Mehyar et al, 2011) have significantly controlled postharvest decay of guava, apple, persimmon, banana, cherry tomato, grapes, and cucumber, among others.…”