title: The impact of the postharvest environment on the viability and virulence of decay fungi.
abstract: Postharvest decay of fruits, vegetables, and grains by fungal pathogens causes significant economic losses. Infected produce presents a potential health risk since some decay fungi produce mycotoxins that are hazardous to human health. Infections are the result of the interplay between host resistance and pathogen virulence. Both of these processes, however, are significantly impacted by environmental factors, such as temperature, UV, oxidative stress, and water activity. In the present review, the impact of various physical postharvest treatments (e.g., heat and UV) on the viability and virulence of postharvest pathogens is reviewed and discussed. Oxidative injury, protein impairment, and cell wall degradation have all been proposed as the mechanisms by which these abiotic stresses reduce fungal viability and pathogenicity. The response of decay fungi to pH and the ability of pathogens to modulate the pH of the host environment also affect pathogenicity. The effects of the manipulation of the postharvest environment by ethylene, natural edible coatings, and controlled atmosphere storage on fungal viability are also discussed. Lastly, avenues of future research are proposed.
authors.affiliation: a Chongqing Key Laboratory of Economic Plant Biotechnology , College of Forestry & Life Science/Institute of Special Plants, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences , Yongchuan , China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Chongqing Key Laboratory of Economic Plant Biotechnology , College of Forestry & Life Science/Institute of Special Plants, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences , Yongchuan , China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sui
authors.affiliation: b U. S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) , Kearneysville , West Virginia , USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.affiliation: a Chongqing Key Laboratory of Economic Plant Biotechnology , College of Forestry & Life Science/Institute of Special Plants, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences , Yongchuan , China.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: a Chongqing Key Laboratory of Economic Plant Biotechnology , College of Forestry & Life Science/Institute of Special Plants, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences , Yongchuan , China.
authors.forename: Yiqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Chongqing Key Laboratory of Economic Plant Biotechnology , College of Forestry & Life Science/Institute of Special Plants, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences , Yongchuan , China.
authors.forename: Yuming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: c Yantai Lvyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd , Yantai , China.
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: c Yantai Lvyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd , Yantai , China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: c Yantai Lvyun Biotechnology Co., Ltd , Yantai , China.
authors.forename: Wenhua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: d Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Plant Pathology , China Agricultural University , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: d Key Laboratory of Plant Pathology, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Plant Pathology , China Agricultural University , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002470:Cell Survival; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Heat stress; manipulated environment; oxidative stress; pH; pathogen viability; stress response