Lactic acid bacteria from fresh fruit and vegetables as biocontrol agents of phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi Authors Rosalia Trias Institute for Food and Agricultural Technology-CeRTA, CIDSAV, University of Girona Lluís Bañeras Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, IEA, University of Girona Emilio Montesinos Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, IEA, University of Girona Esther Badosa Institute for Food and Agricultural Technology-CeRTA, CIDSAV, University of Girona Keywords: Penicillium expansum, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), biocontrol, spoilage, fresh fruit Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of lactic acid bacteria isolated from fresh fruits and vegetables as biocontrol agents against the phytopathogenic and spoilage bacteria and fungi, Xanthomonas campestris, Erwinia carotovora, Penicillium expansum, Monilinia laxa, and Botrytis cinerea. The antagonistic activity of 496 lactic acid bacteria strains was tested in vitro, and all tested microorganisms except P. expansum were inhibited by at least one isolate. The 496 isolates were also tested for inhibition of infection of P. expansum in wounds of Golden Delicious apples. Four strains TC97, AC318, TM319 and FF441 reduced the fungal rot diameter of apples by 20%, and only, Weissella cibaria strain TM128 decreased infection levels by 50%. Cell-free supernatants of selected antagonistic bacteria were studied to determine the nature of the antimicrobial compounds produced. Organic acids were the preferred inhibition mechanism but hydrogen peroxide was also detected when strains BC48, TM128, PM141 and FF441 were tested against Erwinia carotovora. These results support the potentiality of lactic acid bacteria as biocontrol agents against postharvest rot. Previous works reporting of antifungal activity by lactic acid bacteria are scarce. Author Biographies Rosalia Trias, Institute for Food and Agricultural Technology-CeRTA, CIDSAV, University of Girona Institute for Food and Agricultural Technology-CeRTA, CIDSAV, University of Girona Lluís Bañeras, Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, IEA, University of Girona Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, IEA, University of Girona Emilio Montesinos, Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, IEA, University of Girona Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, IEA, University of Girona Esther Badosa, Institute for Food and Agricultural Technology-CeRTA, CIDSAV, University of Girona Institute for Food and Agricultural Technology-CeRTA, CIDSAV, University of Girona Downloads PDF Published 2010-09-21 Issue Vol. 11 No. 4 (2008) Section Research Articles License Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.
