Enhancing the bio-efficacy of Debaryomyces hansenii with sodium salts for reducing the blue mould rot in apples.

摘要

Studies were conducted to observe the effect of sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate on enhancing the bio-efficacy of Debaryomyces hansenii for reducing the incidence of blue mould rot of apples caused by Penicillium expansum. Minimum radial growth of P. expansum was found with 1.0% concentration each of sodium carbonate (1.6 cm diameter) and sodium bicarbonate (1.5 cm diameter) in vitro, respectively. The incidence of blue mould rot was reduced from 87.5% in control to 43.8% in sodium bicarbonate (1.0% w/v)+D. hansenii (109 cfu/ml) treatment combination after 15 days of inoculation at 25 degrees C. The least infected area (1.50 cm2) was found in D. hansenii+sodium carbonate (1.0% w/v) treated fruits. Fruits treated with sodium bicarbonate (1.0% w/v)+D. hansenii (109 cfu/ml) also showed minimum (4.9%) spoilage by fungi than untreated fruits (22.1%) after 42 days of storage at ambient conditions. This treatment also delayed the infection by 10-15 days and did not affect the quality of the fruits during storage.