Antagonistic fungal volatiles as potential biocontrol countermeasure for microbial postharvest fruit diseases

Abstract Background Fruits are the main important agricultural commodity, but very susceptible in terms of postharvest losses (PHL) due to diseases by microbial pathogens. Recently, there has been increased interest in countermeasure efforts to reduce PHL. As an alternative to chemical pesticides, fungal volatile organic compounds (FVOCs) are potential countermeasures because they are considered more environmentally friendly with less toxicity to human health. Main body FVOCs include wide diverse of organic chemical functional groups, but with low molecular weight (< C20) which possesses sufficient chemical, physical, and biological properties that can be clearly perceived by other organisms through intra- or inter-kingdom interactions, either mutualistic or antagonistic. Based on the antagonistic function, some beneficial FVOCs can be utilized as a biological control agent and biofumigant to combat microbial pathogens in postharvest fruit. Proposed mechanisms of the antagonistic effect of FVOCs toward their cell counterpart include alteration of the morphology of cell wall and cell membrane, influencing intracellular redox balance, elevating reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and also possibly damaging DNA target. All these conditions potentially disrupt cell contents and then lead to cell death. In order to achieve this purpose, the suitable formulation of FVOC-loaded biofumigant is very crucial. Conclusion FVOCs have potential application as biofumigant to control microbial pathogens in postharvest fruits. However, for the development of a product, the formulation of FVOC-loaded biofumigant should consider the compatibility of the formula with fruits, toxicity effect to humans, and cost production to ensure the effectiveness of the formula.