title: Optimization of water curing for the preservation of chestnuts (Castanea sativa Mill.) and evaluation of microbial dynamics during process.
abstract: Chestnuts are very perishable fruits, whose quality may be compromised during postharvest handling. Damage can be caused both by insects and fungi. Water curing, a commonly used postharvest method, is based on soaking fruits in water typically for about one week. Factors that affect effectiveness of water curing have only been explained partially. A decrease in pH, likely imputable to a light fermentation caused by lactic acid bacteria, may inhibit the growth of moulds. In this study a Lactobacillus pentosus strain was selected for its ability to inhibit fungi, and used as a starter culture during water curing. As second goal, a reduction of the environmental impact of the process was evaluated by using water that had been re-cycled from a previous curing treatment. Experiments were performed on pilot as well as on farm scale. In all trials, microbial dynamics were evaluated by means of a polyphasic approach including conventional and molecular-based analyses. According to results, the employment of an adjunct culture appears as a very promising opportunity. Even if no reduction in the duration of the process was achieved, waters exhibited a minor microbial complexity and fruits did not lose the natural lustre after the process.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blaiotta
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Capua
authors.affiliation: CAISIAL, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, ISA-CNR, Via Roma, 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coppola
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy; Istituto di Scienze dell'Alimentazione, ISA-CNR, Via Roma, 64, 83100 Avellino, Italy. Electronic address: aponte@unina.it.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aponte
mesh_terms: D000898:Antibiosis; D044822:Biodiversity; D029962:Fagaceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000502:physiology; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Chestnuts; Lactobacillus pentosus; PCR-DGGE; Penicillium spp.; Water curing