Abstract
Considerable economic losses to harvested fruits are caused by postharvest fungal decay during transportation and storage, which can be significantly controlled by synthetic fungicides. However, considering public concern over pesticide residues in food and the environment, there is a need for safer alternatives for the control of postharvest decay to substitute synthetic fungicides. As the second most abundant biopolymer renewable source in nature, chitin and its derivative chitosan are widely used in controlling postharvest decay of fruits. This review aims to introduce the effect of chitin and chitosan on postharvest decay in fruits and the possible modes of action involved. We found most of the actions discussed in these researches rest on physiological mechanisms. All of the mechanisms are summarized to lay the groundwork for further studies which should focus on the molecular mechanisms of chitin and chitosan in controlling postharvest decay of fruits.
Highlights
Fresh fruits and vegetables are very perishable and susceptible to postharvest diseases which limit the storage period and marketing life of them
This review summarizes the efficiency of chitin and chitosan on controlling postharvest diseases which prolongs the shelf-life of fruits, and its possible mechanisms involved
The results indicated that LMWC significantly inhibited the decay of citrus fruit caused by Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, Botrydiplodia lecanidion, and Botrytis cinerea after 14 days storage at 25 °C, and is more effective than TBZ and high molecular weight chitosan (HMWC) (Table 1)
Summary
Fresh fruits and vegetables are very perishable and susceptible to postharvest diseases which limit the storage period and marketing life of them. A great many alternative strategies, including biological control with antagonistic microorganisms, applications of plant bioactive compounds, refrigerated storage, heat treatment, high pressure processing and modified atmosphere storage [4,5], have been used to control postharvest diseases of fruits and inhibit growth of the pathogens. All these methods could not control postharvest diseases as effectively as synthetic fungicides. This review summarizes the efficiency of chitin and chitosan on controlling postharvest diseases which prolongs the shelf-life of fruits, and its possible mechanisms involved. New research approaches to fully understand the mechanism of chitin and chitosan against fungal pathogens are suggested
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