Yeasts biocontrol of fungal spoilage of pears stored at low temperatures

ROBIGLIO,A.; SOSA, M.C.; LUTZ, M.C.; LOPES,C.; SANGORRIN,M.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD MICROBIOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Año: 2011 vol. 147 p. 211 - 216

0168-1605

To reduce the use of fungicides, biological control with yeasts has been proposed in postharvest pears. However, most studies of antagonists selection have been carried out at room TºC, which is not appropriate in our region where fruits are stored at -1/0ºC during 5-7 months. In this study, 75 yeast cultures were isolated from healthy pears from two Patagonian cold-storage packinghouses. Aureobasidium pullulans, Cryptococcus albidus, Cryptococcus difluens, Pichia membranifaciens, Pichia philogaea, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast species were identified. Additionally, 13 indigenous isolates of Penicillium expansum and 10 isolates of Botrytis cinerea were obtained from diseased pears, characterized by aggressiveness and tested for sensitivity to postharvest fungicides. The yeasts were pre-selected