hus reducing fruit respiration metabolism (Hagenmaier, 2005).
The results of this study demonstrate that CSL can be a suitable substrate
for the cultivation of C. elegans to isolate CHI. The CHI obtained
from C. elegans that was cultivated under optimized conditions strongly
inhibited the post-harvest pathogenic fungi B. cinerea and P. expansum
when applied as a coating on table grapes stored at room or cold temperature.
Furthermore, the tested CHI did not negatively affect the physical,
physicochemical or sensory characteristics of the grapes during the
storage period. These findings reveal the potential of CHI from fungi,
particularly from C. elegans, to control the growth and survival of the
pathogenic fungi B. cinerea and P. expansum in fruits. CHI may be an
alternative to synthetic antifungal agents that are currently applied to
reduce the post-harvest losses and decay caused by post-harvest pathogenic
fungi.