Disinfecting agents for controlling fruit and vegetable diseases after harvest

Disinfection of fresh fruit and vegetables after harvest is an essential first step of postharvest handling. The minimal requirement from disinfection procedures is to maintain commodities and facilities free of fungal postharvest pathogens and bacterial human pathogens and thus improve food safety. Disinfection of postharvest pathogens that accumulate on the fruit surface before and during harvest is a direct benefit and in particular cases it can by itself prevent decay after storage. The current review includes historical, chemical, and regulatory background on some of the major disinfectants available for usage today. These include chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone, ethanol, hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, and electrolyzed water. Some of the disinfectants described in this review are in wide usage for many years and some are considered ‘alternative’ and are at initial levels of usage. Information is given on experimental reports, practical application, phytotoxicity, residues, advantages, disadvantages and mode of action of the compounds and technologies. Special emphasis is given to vapor and gas phase applications due to their unexploited potential and to some complementary technologies that have been reported in recent years. The conclusion from the many details in this review is that disinfection is an important tool to ensure management of postharvest decay of fresh produce. In some cases, disinfection is a precondition to successful implementation of major postharvest technologies and in particular cases it can become the major technology. An important aspect arising from this review is also that some of the bad reputation of chemical disinfectants is unjustified because they leave no or non-toxic levels of residues and their environmental impact is minor in view of their potential benefits.