Biocontrol by yeasts: perspectives in aplication for fruits safety

Abstract

The agrifood system of fruits is a relevant area in Brazil, where the efforts are focused on competitiveness of both tropical and subtropical ones. Considerable losses in the economically important fruits are elapsed by susceptibility to field fungal infection, followed by further storage fungi attack. Prominent interest concern on biocontrol as an alternative for traditional chemical treatment in pos-harvesting disease control, due the low possibility of undesirable residues. The perspective is targeted on yeasts, whose wide safety is already demonstrated by food fermentative processes. The applicability of yeast killer factor is unknown, but the potentially innocuous compounds point as a promising bioactive product for use in biodegradable biofilms. Revised are the possible application of beneficial interaction of yeasts in the control of deteriorative/mycotoxigenic fungi, aiming additional contribution for fresh fruit safety in the globalized world, where the current Brazilian economy are in progressive advance.