Editorial: Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Postharvest Management of Fresh

AJAY KUMAR¹MANOJ KUMAR SOLANKI²Gustavo Santoyo^3*

• ¹Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Sector-125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201313, India, Noida, India
• ²Department of Life Sciences and Biological Sciences, IES University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, Bhopal, India
• ³Instituto de Investigaciones Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Mexico

Fresh produces especially fruits and vegetables are the richest source of nutrients, minerals, vitamins and play essential role in ensuring food nutrition security worldwide. Fresh produces are one of the important commodities of global trades and economic development (Michel et al. 2024). According to estimates global annual farm gate value of fruits and vegetables is over USD 1 trillion, exceeding the total value of all agricultural food grains, which is only USD 837 billion. However the nutrient rich source, water or sugary content make them prone for the pathogenic attack during the growth, harvest or postharvest storage conditions. FAO, 2024 estimated that approx. 20-40 % of the fresh produces lost annually due to the phytopathogen attack. This loss raises the concern of ensuring food security for the rising global population (Schreinemachers et al. 2018).To mitigate the challenges of phytopathogen attack a large population rely on the chemical pesticides and it works in very short time but their long term uses showed detrimental effect on the fruit quality, soil productivity , or environment or human health. From last few years consumers’ preferences towards the organic food, or the fresh produces grown by the minimum use of chemical pesticides increased (Ambaye et al. 2024). In this context use of beneficial microorganism having antagonistic activity, frequently employed as microbial biocontrol agent to control the phytopathogen growth or manage plant diseases during growth, harvest or postharvest storage conditions. These microbial biocontrol agent either uses singly or in combination with the other microbial strains of the same or different genera (syncoms) via the different methods like seed treatment, plant or soil inoculants, foliar spray or by the dipping procedures (Yin et al. 2022). The research topic “Beneficial Microbes for Sustainable Postharvest Management of Fresh Produce” has compiled six article that covers the various aspect of sustainable postharvest management including the screening of microbial biocontrol agents, evaluation of biocontrol potential of metabolites, or how the microbial synthesized nanoparticles can take part in extending the shelf life of fresh produces during the postharvest storage conditions. For example Li et al. isolated and characterized the bacterial strains Bacillus megaterium having potential to degrade the aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination from the Coix seed. The strains in the fermentation supernatant showed 97.45% degradation potential of AFB1 after 72 h at 57°C, with initial pH of 8.0. These findings highlight the promising biocontrol potential of B. megaterium for mitigating AFB1 contamination in Coix seed.Building upon the biocontrol role of Bacillus species, Du et al. reported the efficacy of Bacillus tequilensis against Botrytis cinerea, a gray mold pathogen responsible for significant postharvest losses in blueberry. The authors evaluated both the fermentation broth and the cell-free supernatant of B. tequilensis using biochemical and transcriptomic approaches, demonstrating notable antifungal activity.In a related approach exploring natural compounds, Jiao et al. assessed the antifungal properties of paeonol, an active compound derived from traditional Chinese medicine, against B. cinerea. At a concentration of 250 mg/L, paeonol completely inhibited fungal growth. The study revealed its effectiveness in reducing gray mold and extending the shelf life and quality of cherry tomatoes, suggesting its potential as a natural antifungal alternative during postharvest storage.Focusing on another major postharvest pathogen, Kuruppu et al. investigated the causal agents of black rot in pineapple across three different regions. Thielaviopsis paradoxa emerged as the primary pathogen, with a 45–50% occurrence in two of the locations studied. The findings underscore the urgent need to develop effective control measures to protect pineapples from postharvest losses caused by T. paradoxa.Nanotechnology-based strategies have also been explored for postharvest disease control. Kumawat et al. evaluated the antifungal potential of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized from Serratia sp. against Aspergillus niger, the causal agent of black mold in garlic. Treatment with 250 μg/mL ZnO-NPs suppressed mycelial growth by 90% and spore germination by 73%. Notably, a 500 ppm application in a pre-inoculation strategy resulted in 0% disease severity and significantly extended the postharvest shelf life of garlic.Finally, in the context of microbial quality control in fruits, Tanea et al. explored bacterial postbiotics for preserving strawberries. The study employed postbiotic-based formulations (PBFs) that included antibacterial peptide-proteins from Weissella cibaria and exopolysaccharides from W. confusa. These formulations effectively reduced the viability of Serratia liquefaciens—a pathogen isolated from ready-to-eat strawberries—within one hour, causing structural damage to bacterial cells and enhancing fruit shelf life and quality.The article compiled in the research topic help the researchers in screening or formulating the novel microbial bio control agent, nanoparticles, metabolites , which can efficiently be used to reduce the postharvest loss or enhanced the shelf life of fresh produces in sustainable ways. We hope this research topic will provide a deep insight of postharvest management of fresh produces and related knowledge gaps.