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Glucuronan and oligoglucuronans isolated from green algae activate natural defense responses in apple fruit and reduce postharvest blue and gray mold decay

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Abstract

The efficacy of two algal saccharides, glucuronan and oligoglucuronans (average degree of polymerization = 3), against postharvest blue mold (Penicillium expansum) and gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) on apple fruit (Malus domestica Borkh. cv Golden Delicious) and the related-defense responses involved were evaluated. The severity of both blue and gray mold in apple fruits was reduced with the greatest efficacy being achieved using oligoglucuronans. Moreover, glucuronan and its oligomers trigger a rapid and transient accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as well as the activation of antioxidant-related enzymes, namely catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). These algal saccharides increased also the activities of phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL), peroxydase (POD), and polyphenoloxydase (PPO) as well as the levels of lignin and phenolic compounds. These results suggest that the protective effects of glucuronan and oligoglucuronans on apple might be due to its ability on activating an onset-related defensive enzymes and metabolites instead of its direct antifungal activity on the pathogens. These findings showed that glucuronan and even more oligoglucuronans treatments could be a promising method to reduce dependency on synthetic fungicides.

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Acknowledgment

This work has been supported by funding from collaborative project of Scientific French-Moroccan Cooperation (PRAD n°. 10-02).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biotechnologies et Bio-ingénierie Moléculaire, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques Guéliz, Université Cadi Ayyad, B.P. 549, 40000, Marrakech, Morocco

    El Faïza Abouraïcha, Zainab El Alaoui-Talibi, Ahmed Tadlaoui-Ouafi & Cherkaoui El Modafar

  2. Laboratoire des Polysaccharides Microbiens et Végétaux, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, IUT-GB Amiens, Avenue des facultés, Le Bailly, F-80025, Amiens Cedex 1, France

    Redouan El Boutachfaiti, Emmanuel Petit, Bernard Courtois & Josiane Courtois

  3. Laboratoire de Botanique et de Protection des Plantes, Faculté des Sciences, Université Ibn Tofail, B.P. 133, 14000, Kénitra, Morocco

    Allal Douira

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  1. El Faïza Abouraïcha
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  2. Zainab El Alaoui-Talibi
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Abouraïcha, E.F., El Alaoui-Talibi, Z., Tadlaoui-Ouafi, A. et al. Glucuronan and oligoglucuronans isolated from green algae activate natural defense responses in apple fruit and reduce postharvest blue and gray mold decay. J Appl Phycol 29, 471–480 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-016-0926-0

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