Impact of Cultivar, Processing and Storage on the Mycobiota of European Chestnut Fruits

Sweet chestnut fruits are popular commercialized as fresh or processed ready-to-eat products. The major post-harvest problems associated with stored fungal rots, which cause losses in fruit quality. aims of this work were to determine the incidence, abundance and diversity rots fungi three varieties (Longal, Judia Martaínha) Portugal, collected from an industrial plant, identify stages storage processing where more significant. Thirty-three samples different processing. Nuts internally externally inspected for damage, infestation infection, internal isolated molecularly identified. variety Martaínha was identified least susceptible growth, while Longal most susceptible. A high detected dominant Mucor racemosus, Penicillium spp. (the causal agents green rots), Ciboria batschiana (black rot) Botrytis cinerea (gray rot). Gnomoniopsis smithogilvyi, agent brown rot, also frequently detected. Sterilization hydrothermal bath effective elimination reduction rot-causing fungi. These results could serve a baseline better monitoring development decay, develop management measures control rots.