Main postharvest fungi in fruits_
| Common names | Latin names | Main host crops | Main damages/symptoms | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue mould | Penicillium italicum | Citrus species, guava, mango, pome fruits, stone fruits, grapes and berries | Blue or green mould; fruit decay; softens fruits and causes rapid senescence | (Palou, 2014; CABI, 2021a, 2021b Palou, 2014) |
| Green mould | Penicillium digitatum | |||
| Grey mould | Botrytis cinerea | Pome fruits, stone fruits, grapes and berries | Soft rotting; prolific grey conidiophores with collapsed and water-soaked parenchyma tissues occur | (Abdel-Rahim and Abo-Elyousr, 2017; Williamson et al., 2007) |
| Alternaria rot | Alternaria spp. | Pome fruits and stone fruits | Grey, green and/or black spore colonies and spots on fruits; sunken lesions; over-ripe and softer fruits | (Aschehoug et al., 2012; Nowicki et al., 2012) |
| Anthracnose | Colletotrichum spp. | Apples, avocados, bananas, mangoes and temperate fruits | Brown lesions; microbial decay | (Thomidis, 2014; Shivas et al., 2016) |
| Brown rot | Monilia fructiocola | Apricots, apples, pears, quinces, peaches, nectarines, other stone and pome fruits | Brown rot; blossom blight; cankers; fruit rots | (Martini and Mari, 2014; Uysal-Morca and Kinay-Teksür, 2019) |
Natural plant-based products for controlling postharvest phytopathogens_
| Main groups | Sub-groups | Important features and main advantages in postharvest handling | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proteins | Wheat gluten | Insoluble in neutral solvents. Has moderate elasticity and cohesiveness abilities. Provides barrier to water vapour. | (Gennadios et al., 1994) |
| Corn zein | Insoluble in water. Has a hydrophobic nature and exhibits a good film-forming characteristic. Blocks the transport of moisture and prevents transpiration. | (Hassan et al., 2018) | |
| Soy protein | Insoluble in water. Has film-forming ability for blocking moisture transfer. | (Renkema and Van Vliet, 2002) | |
| Lipids | Oils | Insoluble in water. Provides barrier against atmospheric gases and water vapour. Also has direct and indirect impact on fungi. | (Bahadırlı et al., 2020; Mossa et al., 2021) |
| Waxes | Most common products in postharvest handling. Has high waterproofing ability. Prevents respiration, transpiration and fungal infections. | (Castro et al., 2012; Lan, 2019) | |
| Polysaccharides | Cellulose | Has low density, high mechanical strength and film-forming characteristics. It has moderate ability for oxygen and gaseous transfer. | (Credou and Berthelot, 2014; Hassan et al., 2018) |
| Starch | Insoluble in cold water. Has low oxygen permeability but low flexibility. Delays ethylene biosynthesis and the fruit senescence. | (Ortega-Toro et al., 2015; Thakur et al., 2019) | |
| Pectin | Has a gelling characteristic with ability to maintain low moisture and controls phytopathogens. | (Liu et al., 2007; Aguirre-Joya et al., 2019) | |
| Aloe vera | Has high film-forming ability and high antifungal characteristics. | (Navarro et al., 2011; Kahramanoğlu et al., 2019) | |
| Plant gums | They have the ability to reduce the respiration rate and ethylene production, improve the resistance of products to phytopathogens and delay the fruit senescence. | (Mahfoudhi and Hamdi, 2015) | |
| Secondary metabolites | Citral, eugenol, thymol etc. | They may have direct or indirect antifungal activity (by improving products’ tolerance or damaging fungi). | (Wei et al., 2021; Yang et al., 2021) |