Control of postharvest Rhizopus rot of peach by microwave treatment and yeast antagonist

The potential of using microwave power alone, or in combination with antagonistic yeast, for control of Rhizopus stolonifer on peach, and its effects on the postharvest quality of peach were investigated. In in vitro tests, the growth of R. stolonifer was completely inhibited by a 2,450 MHz microwave heating for 2 min or more. The population density of R. stolonifer in surface wounds of microwave treatment fruits was significantly lower than that in the control. In vivo studies of inoculation of peach fruit with R. stolonifer followed by microwave treatment, Cryptococcus laurentii or both of them, microwave power and C. laurentii, as stand-alone treatments, were capable of reducing the percentage of decayed fruit from 95% in control, untreated fruit to 42.1% and 75%, respectively. However, in fruit treated with a combination of microwave power and C. laurentii, the percentage of decayed fruits was only 23.7%. The experiments on reducing natural decay development of fruit gave similar results. The microwave treatment, C. laurentii, or both of them did not impair the quality parameters of the fruit. Thus, the combination of microwave and C. laurentii could be an alternative to chemicals for control of postharvest Rhizopus rot on peach fruits.