Abstract
Fungal spoilage of postharvest grains poses serious problems with respect to food safety, human health, and the economic value of grains. The protection of cereal grains from deleterious fungi is a critical aim in postharvest grain management. Considering the bulk volume of grain piles in warehouses or bins and food safety, fumigation with natural gaseous fungicides is a promising strategy to control fungal contamination on postharvest grains. Increasing research has focused on the antifungal properties of biogenic volatiles. This review summarizes the literature related to the effects of biogenic volatiles from microbes and plants on spoilage fungi on postharvest grains and highlights the underlying antifungal mechanisms. Key areas for additional research on fumigation with biogenic volatiles in postharvest grains are noted. The research described in this review supports the protective effects of biogenic volatiles against grain spoilage by fungi, providing a basis for their expanded application in the management of postharvest grains.
Key points
• Biogenic volatile compounds with inhibitory effects against fungi on postharvest grains are reviewed.
• Mechanisms underlying antifungal effects of biogenic volatiles are discussed.
• Biogenic volatiles have promising applications for the prevention of postharvest grain spoilage by fungi.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan of China (grant number 2019YFC1605303-04), National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 31772023), Scientific and Technological Research Project of Henan Province (grant number 212102110193), Natural Scientific Research Innovation Foundation of Henan University of Technology (grant number 2020ZKCJ01), Cultivation Programme for Young Backbone Teachers in Henan University of Technology, and Key Scientific and Technological Project of Education Department of Henan Province (grant number 23A210007).
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SBZ planned the review; WYD, JDL, YLQ, YNL, and SBZ analyzed the literature and wrote the first version of the manuscript; YYL and HCZ prepared the table and figure; JPC, YSH, and SBZ revised the final version of the manuscript. All authors accepted the final version of the manuscript.
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Duan, WY., Zhang, SB., Lei, JD. et al. Protection of postharvest grains from fungal spoilage by biogenic volatiles. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 107, 3375–3390 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12536-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-023-12536-x