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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337637
Title: Volatile organic compounds produced by antarctic strains of candida sake play a role in the control of postharvest pathogens of apples

Author
item ARRARTE, ELOISA - Universidad Del La Republica
item GARMENDIA, G. - Universidad Del La Republica
item ROSSINI, C. - Universidad Del La Republica
item Wisniewski, Michael
item VERO, SILVANA - Universidad Del La Republica

Submitted to: Journal of Biological Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2017
Publication Date: 3/3/2017
Citation: Arrarte, E., Garmendia, G., Rossini, C., Wisniewski, M.E., Vero, S. 2017. Volatile organic compounds produced by antarctic strains of candida sake play a role in the control of postharvest pathogens of apples. Journal of Biological Control. 109:14-20.

Interpretive Summary: There is a need to develop new technologies to prevent postharvest losses of fruits and vegetables caused by fungal decay organisms that are not based on the use of synthetic fungicides. The use of yeast antagonists has been demonstrated to represent a plausible alternative and several yeast antagonists are being commercialized. Yeast antagonists must be able to perform under the low temperature conditions in which apples are stored for long periods of time. In the present study, a cold-adapted strain of yeast isolated in Antarctica was shown to inhibit several postharvest fungal pathogens. It was determined that this yeast strain produced volatile compounds that were partially responsible for their ability to prevent postharvest diseases of apples in cold storage. This information will be used to define the mode of action of this antagonist and the role of bioactive volatiles will be pursued in other related yeast species used as biocontrol agents.

Technical Abstract: In this study the strategy of isolating psychrotrophic, non-pectinolytic yeasts able to grow in apple juice as potential biocontrol agents was a successful approach. Thirty-four yeasts isolated from Antarctic were able to maintain rot incidence caused by P. expansum and B. cinerea under 25% on apples stored at 0-1 °C. Two of the isolates, identified as Candida sake, produced antifungal volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which inhibited the growth of five pathogens of apple (P. expansum, B. cinerea, A. alternata, A. tenuissima, and A. arborescens). This is the first report of VOCs produced by C. sake. In addition, the inhibitory activity of VOCs produced by yeasts against species of Alternaria that cause postharvest apple rot had not been reported before. In vitro studies were performed on Apple Juice Agar at 0 °C and 25 °C due to the importance of evaluating antifungal activity in similar conditions to where the biocontrol agent are intended to be used. The VOCs produced by Candida sake strain 41E were also effective in controlling P. expansum in Red Delicious apples in in vivo assays.