Antifungal and Antipatulin Activity of Gluconobacter Oxydans Isolated from Apple Surface

Martina Bevardi,Frane Delaš,Jadranka Frece,Dragana Mesarek,Ksenija Markov,Jasna Bošnir,Jasna Mrvčić

doi:10.2478/10004-1254-64-2013-2308

Abstract

Fungicides are the most common agents used in postharvest treatment of fruit and are the most effective against blue mould, primarily caused by Penicillium expansum. Alternatively, blue mould can be treated with antagonistic microorganisms naturally occurring on fruit, such as the bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans. The aim of this study was to establish the antifungal potential of the G. oxydans 1J strain isolated from apple surface against Penicillium expansum in culture and apple juice and to compare it with the efficiency of a reference strain G. oxydans ATCC 621H. The highest antifungal activity of G. oxydans 1J was observed between days 3 and 9 with no colony growth, while on day 12, P. expansum colony diameter was reduced to 42.3% of the control diameter. Although G. oxydans 1J did not fully inhibit mould growth, it showed a high level of efficiency and completely prevented patulin accumulation in apple juice.

Highlights

Fungicides are the most common agents used in postharvest treatment of fruit and are the most effective against blue mould, primarily caused by Penicillium expansum
Blue mould can be treated with antagonistic microorganisms naturally occurring on fruit, such as the bacterium Gluconobacter oxydans
The aim of this study was to establish the antifungal potential of the G. oxydans 1J strain isolated from apple surface against Penicillium expansum in culture and apple juice and to compare it with the efficiency of a reference strain G. oxydans ATCC 621H

Summary

Introduction

The most common agents used to treat patulin-contaminated fruit are fungicides [7, 8] Their harmful effects on human health and the environment are well known [6], and their overuse increases the risk of resistance in treated microorganisms. These reasons have led to an intensive search for safer biological alternatives to control fruit and vegetable spoilage and potential toxin accumulation. One such alternative is the use of microorganisms naturally occurring on fruit and vegetable surfaces [9, 10], such as Gluconobacter oxydans

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