BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF THE FUNGUS Penicillium sp. IN ORANGES USING KOMBUCHA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/e850zd09Keywords:
Green mold; Biofungicide; Alternative control.Abstract
Green mold is caused by Penicillium digitatum, a disease that affects 90% of post-harvest production, resulting in total fruit loss. The objective was to isolate Penicillium sp. and subject it to in vitro and in vivo assays with kombucha. The fungus was morphologically characterized, and gelatin was used as a complementary alternative to kombucha, tested in in vitro assays (1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5%). Kombucha was subjected to assays at concentrations of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 100%. Autoclaved distilled water was used as the positive control (PC), and methyl thiophanate (2%) was used as the negative control (NC). In in vivo tests, the same kombucha concentrations tested in in vitro were used. In the direct comparison test, kombucha (50% and 100%) was used, along with control fruits. Metagenomic results indicated the genera Komagotaeibacter and Pichiaceae sp. as dominant in kombucha. In in vitro tests, kombucha showed inhibition of Penicillium sp., with this effect evident from the fourth day of evaluation. Gelatin exerted an inhibitory effect on Penicillium sp., with significant inhibition on the tenth day, with growth lower than the positive control. Kombucha with gelatin (1%) was effective in inhibiting the growth of Penicillium sp., the inhibitory effect being statistically significant compared to the positive and negative controls. In the in vivo test, all concentrations resulted in a total suppression of disease progression, differing from the Positive Control and Negative Control, which showed an intermediate disease progression. In the direct confrontation assay, kombucha was highly effective, with zero disease progression under these treatment conditions. The study demonstrated results that reveal the potential of kombucha as a biofungicide in controlling Penicillium sp., representing a sustainable and promising alternative for controlling 100% of the development of green mold in orange fruits.
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