Díaz Mariana Andrea, Fernandes Karina Felix Dias, de Souza Evandro Leite, Dib Julián Rafael
Pilot Plant of Industrial Microbiological Processes (PROIMI)-National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina.
Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, Campus I, Cidade Universitária, João Pessoa, Brazil.
Pest Manag Sci. 2025 Jul 24. doi: 10.1002/ps.70085.
The worldwide citrus industry faces significant economic losses as a consequence of fungal infections, primarily green mold caused by Penicillium digitatum. In Argentina, a leading lemon producer, these losses pose a substantial challenge to domestic and international markets. Although synthetic fungicides are widely used for green mold control, their effectiveness is hampered by pathogen resistance and growing concerns regarding environmental contamination from chemical residues. These limitations underscore the need for alternative, eco-friendly solutions for postharvest disease control. In this context, the study explores the development of novel edible coatings enriched with biocontrol agents. Specifically, Clavispora lusitaniae (strains AgL21 and 146) and Bacillus velezensis BA3 were combined with alginate and chitosan coatings to evaluate their efficacy in controlling P. digitatum while maintaining fruit quality.
In vitro assays revealed that alginate-based coatings with B. velezensis BA3 exhibited the highest mycelial growth inhibition (93.99%), surpassing chitosan-based formulations. All biocontrol-enriched coatings maintained microbial viability throughout a 15-day storage period. In fruit protection trials, alginate coatings significantly reduced the incidence of green mold, with C. lusitaniae 146 in alginate achieving up to 92.7% disease control. Additionally, quality parameters-including weight loss, pH and total soluble solids-remained generally stable during storage, indicating effective preservation of fruit quality.
These findings highlight the potential of biocontrol-enriched edible coatings as an eco-friendly and effective solution for postharvest management of citrus fruits, offering a promising alternative to conventional synthetic fungicides. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
全球柑橘产业因真菌感染遭受重大经济损失，主要是由指状青霉引起的绿霉病。在主要柠檬生产国阿根廷，这些损失对国内外市场构成了重大挑战。尽管合成杀菌剂被广泛用于控制绿霉病，但其有效性受到病原体抗性以及对化学残留环境污染日益担忧的阻碍。这些限制凸显了需要替代性的、环保的采后病害控制解决方案。在此背景下，本研究探索了富含生物防治剂的新型可食用涂层的开发。具体而言，将葡萄牙棒孢酵母（菌株AgL21和146）和贝莱斯芽孢杆菌BA3与藻酸盐和壳聚糖涂层相结合，以评估它们在控制指状青霉同时保持果实品质方面的功效。
体外试验表明，含有贝莱斯芽孢杆菌BA3的藻酸盐基涂层表现出最高的菌丝体生长抑制率（93.99%），超过了壳聚糖基配方。所有富含生物防治剂的涂层在15天的储存期内均保持了微生物活力。在果实保护试验中，藻酸盐涂层显著降低了绿霉病的发病率，藻酸盐中含有葡萄牙棒孢酵母146的处理实现了高达92.7%的病害控制。此外，包括失重、pH值和总可溶性固形物在内的品质参数在储存期间总体保持稳定，表明果实品质得到有效保存。
这些发现突出了富含生物防治剂的可食用涂层作为柑橘类水果采后管理的环保且有效解决方案的潜力，为传统合成杀菌剂提供了一个有前景的替代方案。© 2025化学工业协会。
