From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay

Fungal postharvest diseases of fresh fruits cause significant economic losses while reliance on conventional synthetic fungicides for their control raises important environmental and safety concerns. Likewise, growing issues about the accumulation of agri-food industrial waste and by-products are in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lima de Souza, Ricardo, Pérez-Gago, María B., Palou, Lluís
Format: acceptedVersion
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/9099
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925521425006660
_version_ 1855032911622832128
author Lima de Souza, Ricardo
Pérez-Gago, María B.
Palou, Lluís
author_browse Lima de Souza, Ricardo
Palou, Lluís
Pérez-Gago, María B.
author_facet Lima de Souza, Ricardo
Pérez-Gago, María B.
Palou, Lluís
author_sort Lima de Souza, Ricardo
collection ReDivia
description Fungal postharvest diseases of fresh fruits cause significant economic losses while reliance on conventional synthetic fungicides for their control raises important environmental and safety concerns. Likewise, growing issues about the accumulation of agri-food industrial waste and by-products are increasingly driving the search for new strategies for their valorization to boost the circular bioeconomy and increase sustainability. This review examines the antifungal potential of extracts obtained from underutilized agri-food by-products and their main bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, terpenes, alkaloids, and glucosinolates. The key optimization parameters for the recovery of bioactive compounds using both conventional and green extraction methods are described. The antifungal activity of these extracts has been demonstrated against major pathogens causing fruit postharvest decay, including Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium spp., Monilinia spp., and Colletotrichum spp. While in vitro studies prove the inhibition of fungal growth and spore germination, in vivo applications show significant potential to reduce decay of commercially important fruits such as citrus, apples, strawberries, and grapes. Therefore, the use of these extracts within non-polluting integrated postharvest disease management strategies represents a promising, sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative for decay control. Remaining challenges include identifying new applications, broadening the spectrum of activity, assessing potential synergies with other alternative control methods, and advancing in regulatory approval and scale-up for commercial implementation.
format acceptedVersion
id ReDivia9099
institution Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA)
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling ReDivia90992025-12-26T07:39:32Z From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay Lima de Souza, Ricardo Pérez-Gago, María B. Palou, Lluís Postharvest disease control Sustainable alternatives Antifungal natural extracts Bioactive compounds Food waste exploitation Circular bioeconomy Fungal postharvest diseases of fresh fruits cause significant economic losses while reliance on conventional synthetic fungicides for their control raises important environmental and safety concerns. Likewise, growing issues about the accumulation of agri-food industrial waste and by-products are increasingly driving the search for new strategies for their valorization to boost the circular bioeconomy and increase sustainability. This review examines the antifungal potential of extracts obtained from underutilized agri-food by-products and their main bioactive compounds, such as phenolics, terpenes, alkaloids, and glucosinolates. The key optimization parameters for the recovery of bioactive compounds using both conventional and green extraction methods are described. The antifungal activity of these extracts has been demonstrated against major pathogens causing fruit postharvest decay, including Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium spp., Monilinia spp., and Colletotrichum spp. While in vitro studies prove the inhibition of fungal growth and spore germination, in vivo applications show significant potential to reduce decay of commercially important fruits such as citrus, apples, strawberries, and grapes. Therefore, the use of these extracts within non-polluting integrated postharvest disease management strategies represents a promising, sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative for decay control. Remaining challenges include identifying new applications, broadening the spectrum of activity, assessing potential synergies with other alternative control methods, and advancing in regulatory approval and scale-up for commercial implementation. 2025-12-26T07:36:59Z 2025-12-26T07:36:59Z 2026 acceptedVersion Lima de Souza, R., Pérez-Gago, M. B. and Palou, L. 2026. From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay. Postharvest Biology and Technology 233, 114054. doi:10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114054 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/9099 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2025.114054 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925521425006660 en info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ERDF/PCV 2021-2027/52201/ES/Relanzando la agroalimentación valenciana para una producción y consumo sostenibles y seguros/AgroAlimVal closedAccess Elsevier electronico
spellingShingle Postharvest disease control
Sustainable alternatives
Antifungal natural extracts
Bioactive compounds
Food waste exploitation
Circular bioeconomy
Lima de Souza, Ricardo
Pérez-Gago, María B.
Palou, Lluís
From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
title From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
title_full From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
title_fullStr From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
title_full_unstemmed From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
title_short From waste to health: Valorization of agri-food by-products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
title_sort from waste to health valorization of agri food by products for the control of fresh fruit fungal postharvest decay
topic Postharvest disease control
Sustainable alternatives
Antifungal natural extracts
Bioactive compounds
Food waste exploitation
Circular bioeconomy
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/9099
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925521425006660
work_keys_str_mv AT limadesouzaricardo fromwastetohealthvalorizationofagrifoodbyproductsforthecontroloffreshfruitfungalpostharvestdecay
AT perezgagomariab fromwastetohealthvalorizationofagrifoodbyproductsforthecontroloffreshfruitfungalpostharvestdecay
AT paloulluis fromwastetohealthvalorizationofagrifoodbyproductsforthecontroloffreshfruitfungalpostharvestdecay