Identification of Volatile Organic Compounds in Extremophilic Bacteria and Their Effective Use in Biocontrol of Postharvest Fungal Phytopathogens.

Phytopathogenic fungal growth in postharvest fruits and vegetables is responsible for 20-25% of production losses. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been gaining importance in the food industry as a safe and ecofriendly alternative to pesticides for combating these phytopathogenic fungi. In this study, we analysed the ability of some VOCs produced by strains of the genera , , , and to inhibit the growth of , , , , , and , and . We analysed bacterial VOCs by using GC/MS and 87 volatile compounds were identified, in particular acetoin, acetic acid, 2,3-butanediol, isopentanol, dimethyl disulphide and isopentyl isobutanoate. growth inhibition assays and experiments using cherry fruits showed that the best producers of VOCs, L193, XT1 and Z8, exhibited the highest antifungal activity against , and , which highlights the potential of these strains to control postharvest diseases. Transmission electron microscopy micrographs of bacterial VOC-treated fungi clearly showed antifungal activity which led to an intense degeneration of cellular components of mycelium and cell death.