Practical in-storage interventions to control foodborne pathogens on fresh produce

Although tremendous efforts have been made to ensure fresh produce safety, various foodborne outbreaks and recalls occur annually. Most of the current intervention strategies are evaluated within a short timeframe (less than 1 h), leaving the behavior of the remaining pathogens unknown during subsequent storages. This review summarized outbreak and recall surveillance data from 2009 to 2018 obtained from government agencies in the United States to identify major safety concerns associated with fresh produce, discussed the postharvest handling of fresh produce and the limitations of current antimicrobial interventions, and reviewed the intervention strategies that have the potential to be applied in each storage stage at the commercial scale. One long-term (up to 12 months) prepacking storage (apples, pears, citrus among others) and three short-term (up to 3 months) postpacking storages were identified. During the prepacking storage, continuous application of gaseous ozone at low doses (≤1 ppm) is a feasible option. Proper concentration, adequate circulation, as well as excess gas destruction and ventilation systems are essential to commercial application. At the postpacking storage stages, continuous inhibition can be achieved through controlled release of gaseous chlorine dioxide in packaging, antimicrobial edible coatings, and biocontrol agents. During commercialization, factors that need to be taken into consideration include physicochemical properties of antimicrobials, impacts on fresh produce quality and sensory attributes, recontamination and cross-contamination, cost, and feasibility of large-scale production. To improve fresh produce safety and quality during storage, the collaboration between researchers and the fresh produce industry needs to be improved.     

Plant Growth Promotion Function of Bacillus sp. Strains Isolated from Salt-Pan Rhizosphere and Their Biocontrol Potential against Macrophomina phaseolina

In recent decades, intensive crop management has involved excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, compromising environmental integrity and public health. Accordingly, there has been worldwide pressure to find an eco-friendly and safe strategy to ensure agricultural productivity. Among alternative approaches, Plant Growth-Promoting (PGP) rhizobacteria are receiving increasing attention as suitable biocontrol agents against agricultural pests. In the present study, 22 spore-forming bacteria were selected among a salt-pan rhizobacteria collection for their PGP traits and their antagonistic activity against the plant pathogen fungus Macrophomina phaseolina. Based on the higher antifungal activity, strain RHFS10, identified as Bacillus vallismortis, was further examined and cell-free supernatant assays, column purification, and tandem mass spectrometry were employed to purify and preliminarily identify the antifungal metabolites. Interestingly, the minimum inhibitory concentration assessed for the fractions active against M. phaseolina was 10 times lower and more stable than the one estimated for the commercial fungicide pentachloronitrobenzene. These results suggest the use of B. vallismortis strain RHFS10 as a potential plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria as an alternative to chemical pesticides to efficiently control the phytopathogenic fungus M. phaseolina.     

A multifaceted approach to harness probiotics as antagonists on plant based foods,for enhanced benefits to be reaped at a global level

Investigations into probiotics have focused on their health benefits thus far, with some of the findings finally reaching the food and pharmaceutical industries, which have used them for commercial purposes. In biocontrol research some microbes, mainly isolated from plants, have shown antagonism towards both enteric and plant pathogens, and some of them represent probiotic species. Fresh fruits and vegetables are regarded as health‐promoting dietary constituents, and if probiotics could be used to control the pathogens on them then they could turn out to be even healthier. The fresh produce industry still depends on agrochemicals and the increase in the demand for high‐priced organically grown produce indicates consumer concerns regarding the use of agrochemicals. If the potential of probiotic organisms to serve as biocontrol agents for fresh produce is exploited, all fresh produce can be made as safe as organically grown produce, and much more wholesome. This review appraises the feasibility of such a move by evaluating how research has progressed in both disciplines (probiotic and biocontrol) and suggests sharing results from research via information technology, efficient collaboration, and the use of novel molecular biological tools to achieve the objective of probiotic antagonists. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

纳米银制备及提高生防菌剂抗菌活性

[目的]为有效克服传统生物农药有效成分吸收慢、药效持久性短和药效不稳定的弱点,对纳米银制备及提高生防菌抗菌活性进行了研究.[方法]利用化学液相还原法,在氨水存在的情况下,以抗坏血酸作为还原剂、聚乙烯吡咯烷酮作为保护剂,还原氨银溶液,制备纳米银;以番茄灰霉病菌和白菜软腐病菌为供试菌,进行纳米银与生防菌剂协同抗菌作用的研究.[结果]经富集、清洗、超声处理后得到的纳米银,扫描电子显微镜鉴定其平均粒径在100 nm以内,形状规则,纯度在90%以上;纳米银与硫酸链霉素对白菜软腐病菌的共毒系数为244.3,对大肠杆菌为315.4.[结论]纳米银可有效提高拮抗菌的拮抗活性,完全抑制灰霉病菌丝生长;其与硫酸链霉素结合可显著提高对白菜软腐病菌的抑制作用.     

Exoglucanase‐encoding genes from three Wickerhamomyces anomalus killer strains isolated from olive brine

Wickerhamomyces anomalus killer strains are important for fighting pathogenic yeasts and for controlling harmful yeasts and bacteria in the food industry. Targeted disruption of key genes in β‐glucan synthesis of a sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain conferred resistance to the toxins of W. anomalus strains BS91, BCA15 and BCU24 isolated from olive brine. Competitive inhibition of the killing activities by laminarin and pustulan refer to β‐1,3‐ and β‐1,6‐glucans as the main primary toxin targets. The extracellular exoglucanase‐encoding genes WaEXG1 and WaEXG2 from the three strains were sequenced and were found to display noticeable similarities to those from known potent W. anomalus killer strains. Accession Nos for WaEXG1 genes for the strains in brackets are JQ734563 (BS91), JQ734564 (BCA15) and JQ734565 (BCU24); for WaEXG2 genes JQ734566 (BS91), JQ734567 (BCA15) and JQ734568 (BCU24), respectively. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3株生防芽孢杆菌的筛选及对棉花枯萎病的防治研究

从植物根际土壤中筛选到3株对大豆根腐病、棉花枯萎病、小麦赤霉病等多种作物真菌病害有较强拮抗性的芽孢杆菌菌株Bacillus sp．920,Bacillus sp．930和Bacillus sp．932。用琼脂块法分别测定了它们对11种植物病原真菌的抗菌谱、发酵液的抑菌活性大小及其热稳定性,并对发酵液中的抑菌活性物质进行了初步提取。结果表明,920和932菌株为广谱性抗真菌菌株;930菌株仅表现出对稻瘟病菌具有较强的桔抗性。Bacillus sp．920发酵液中的抑菌活性物质可被酸沉淀,并具有较好的热稳定性。棉花盆栽试验结果表明,接种芽孢杆菌920菌剂可使棉花枯萎病引起的棉苗死亡率由15％降至3．7％,发芽率比对照提高了10％。     

烟草野火病拮抗生防菌的筛选、鉴定与应用

为筛选出烟草野火病拮抗生防菌,开发防治烟草野火病的新型生物农药,降低烟叶农药残留,提高烟叶的安全性,从烟田采集的健康烟草叶片经平板划线法分离和纯化后得到287个细菌分离物,从中筛选到14个对烟草细菌性野火病有抑制作用的拮抗生防菌,测得其中具有较强抑制作用的菌株抑菌带宽度为9.3 mm,经16S rDNA序列鉴定,该菌属于枯草芽孢杆菌Bacillus subtilis。烟草叶片经该拮抗菌液诱导后接种,叶片内主要防御酶苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)、过氧化物酶(POD)、多酚氧化酶(PPO)活性均显著增强。防效测定表明:施用生防剂后接种野火病菌的处理,拮抗菌株防治效果达97.54%,对照农用链霉素防治效果为41.44%。先接种野火病菌后施生防剂的处理,拮抗菌株防治效果达51.40%,对照农用链霉素防治效果为50.69%。说明该拮抗菌株的预防效果高于当前生产上使用的农用链霉素,且其预防效果优于治疗效果。     

复合生防菌群对连作大豆根际土壤可培养微生物区系的影响

采用盆栽试验,研究了复合生防菌群对大豆根际土壤可培养微生物区系的调节作用。结果表明,复合生防菌群可以明显改变大豆根际微生物区系组成。在大豆不同时期,复合生防菌群处理的大豆根际细菌、真菌和放线菌在数量上发生了较大改变。在大豆真叶期和复叶期,复合生防菌群接种处理大豆根际细菌较对照增幅分别达到71.8%和114.3%,而根际真菌较对照减少12.9%和22.3%。在大豆真叶期,复合生防菌群接种处理大豆根际放线菌数量较对照减少9.9%,而在复叶期,根际放线菌数量较对照增加27.4%。此外,施用复合生防菌群可有效降低土传病原菌镰孢菌属（Fusarium）和丝核菌属（Rhizoctonia）的比例,并且提高根瘤菌（Rhizobium）、固氮菌（Azoto-bacter）、木霉属（Trichoderma）、假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas）和芽孢杆菌属（Bacillus）等有益菌的比例。     

冷冻保护剂和储藏条件对海洋酵母冻干粉活性的影响

海洋拮抗酵母Rhodosporidium paludigenum作为生防保鲜剂在控制水果采后真菌类病原菌中表现出了良好的抑制效果,然而生防制剂要真正取代化学杀菌剂,必须以产品的形式投入市场,即实现其商品化生产。实验将该拮抗酵母制成冻干粉,研究冻干保护剂和储藏条件对海洋酵母干粉稳定性的影响。结果显示,海藻糖作为保护剂可以显著地提高酵母干粉的存活率和生防活性,用5%的海藻糖作保护剂,存活率为42%,而对照仅为3%。研究还发现,酵母细胞的存活率与其胞内海藻糖含量具有一定的相关性。另外,储藏实验表明,低温(4℃)可以较好地保持酵母干粉的存活力。而常温(25℃)下储藏1个月,每克干粉中酵母活细胞数下降5个数量级,因此常温不适合储藏该新型拮抗酵母生防制剂。