Microbial Biocontrol as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides: Boundaries between Pre- and Postharvest Applications on Vegetables and Fruits

From a ‘farm to fork’ perspective, there are several phases in the production chain of fruits and vegetables which undesired microbial contaminations can attack foodstuff. In managing these diseases, harvest is crucial point for shifting intervention criteria. While preharvest, pest management consists tailored agricultural practices, postharvest, treated using specific (bio)technological approaches (physical, chemical, biological). Some issues connect ‘pre’ ‘post’, aligning some problems possible solution. The colonisation microorganisms preharvest affect postharvest quality, influencing crop production, yield storage. Postharvest practices ‘amplify’ contamination, favouring spread provoking injures product, sustain growth. this context, biocontrol biological strategy receiving increasing interest as sustainable innovation. Microbial-based biotools find application both control plant diseases reduce on therefore, be considered solutions or postharvest. Numerous antagonists (fungi, yeasts bacteria) used field during storage, reported by laboratory industrial-scale studies. This review aims examine main microbial-based tools potentially representing bioprotective biotechnologies, focusing that overtake boundaries between pre- applications protecting quality against decay.