ABSTRACT
Bio-agents are natural antagonists capable of inhibiting and keeping the target pathogens at low level, besides being nontoxic and environmentally safe. Anthracnose is one of the major postharvest diseases of mango. 88The use of chemical pesticide to treat this disease is avoided from food safety point of view. The objective of the present study is to understand the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a bio-agent for controlling spoilage and improving the quality of mangoes. Mature green fruits of Dashehari were treated with three strains of S. cerevisiae as (T 1), (T 2), and (T 3) @ 108 cells/mL for 10 minutes and control (T 4) dip treated with water and stored under ambient conditions (34 ± 2°C and 85% to 90% RH). Fruits were assessed for physico-chemical parameters at regular intervals of 0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days. The cumulative physiological loss in weight (CPLW) was highest in T 4(1 2 . 8 7 % ) followed by T2 (1 2 . 4 4 % ) , T 1 (12.41%), and T 3 (11.57%) on the 10th day of storage. The total soluble solids (TSS) increased and titratable acidity (TA) and firmness of the fruits decreased during the course of fruit storage. The total carotenoid content was highest in T 2 (7.22 mg/100 g), followed by T 3 6.88 (mg/100 g), T 1(5.43 mg/100 g) and T 4 (4.88 mg/100 g) on the 10th day of storage. The antioxidant content estimated by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) was maximum in T 1 (4602.22 μmolar trolox equivalent/g), followed by T 2 (3353.02 μmolar trolox equivalent/g) and T 3 (2975. 24 molar trolox equivalent/g) on the 10th day of storage. Percent inhibition of antioxidants estimated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was maximum in T 3 (76.47%), followed by T i (61.52%) and T 2 (58.36%) on the 10th day of storage. The spoilage of the fruit was minimum in T 3 (7.33%), followed by T 2 (11.33%), T 1 (11.66%), and T 4 (15.33%) on the 10th day of storage. In vitro studies on the efficacy of S. cerevisiae for controlling Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (pathogen for anthracnose) confirmed the efficacy of the bio-agent. Thus, S. cerevisiae may be used as a potential bio-agent for improving the postharvest quality of mango.
