ABSTRACT
Yeast and their products find multiple uses in the food industry, beverage industry, biotechnology applications and medical science, amongst others. In recent years, their potential roles as biocontrol agents (BCAs) for various fruit and vegetable diseases have been studied. Here we review the role of yeast as potential BCAs for postharvest disease management of fruits and vegetables. Various advantages of yeast over bacteria and fungi as a BCA have been highlighted in the present study including their wide culturability, superior formulation characteristics, safe nature and biofilm formation along with adhesion. The chapter also highlights various mechanisms for understanding biocontrol including competition, enzyme secretion, toxin production and volatiles amongst other modes of action to understand their biocontrol mechanism. Various antagonistic yeast strains have been studied and highlighted for their potential activity against host pathogens of fruits and vegetables. Also, several commercially available yeast biological control products to manage fruits and vegetables diseases have been included which show their immense potential as BCAs for a wide range of pathogenic organisms. There has been an increasing trend for reduced consumption of pesticides on fruits and vegetables, which highlights the importance of these BCAs. Understanding of the various complex interactions of these BCAs with hosts and pathogens will pave the way for the next level of biocontrol mechanisms.
