Alternaria in apples: the hidden menace

MARÍA AGUSTINA PAVICICH; ANDREA PATRIARCA

International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation

Inderscience Publishers

Año: 2022

1744-7550

 Alternaria species areresponsible for several apple diseases in pre- and postharvest stages.Particularly, mouldy core is of economic relevance due to the significantlosses it implies to the productive sector. Even though the infection can beginin the orchard, several postharvest practices favour the spreading of the diseasein terms of severity and frequency of incidence. Cold storage for extendedperiods has been shown to enhance the infection. The main species associatedwith mouldy core are similar in different world regions, all showing a highcapacity of synthesising secondary metabolites, many of which are mycotoxins orcompounds of suspected toxicity. Hence, their presence in the apple corerepresents a threat when the fruit is destined to process. Since visualinspection remains the preferred strategy to prevent the incorporation ofmouldy fruit to the process line, the risk of Alternaria toxins in appleconcentrate and other by-products cannot be disregarded.