Alternative means of control are becoming increasingly relevant to the improvement of safety and the reduction of postharvest losses and waste of fruit and vegetables, especially in view of the application of the EU Greed Deal. A previous study from our research group that focused on the electrolysis process of water and was conducted using NaCl and NaHCO₃ as electrolytes proved to efficiently reduce pathogen inoculum in packinghouse washing water. In the present study, we examined the effect of the electrolyzed salt solutions (eNaCl and eNaHCO₃) produced in the same experimental conditions previously reported to be used as postharvest treatments during handling and commercialization, and/or at the consumer’s site. We tested the electrolyzed solutions, obtained in the presence or absence of the salts, against five relevant fungal pathogens in terms of conidia viability, and on various hosts in terms of rot incidence/severity. Chemical parameters of electrolyzed and non-electrolyzed solutions were also assessed. Although a different susceptibility to treatments was observed among pathogens, electrolyzed sodium chloride (eNaCl) was the most efficient treatment for preventing spore germination, as well as for minimizing fruit rot. However, a consistent control of fungal viability and consequent rot was also achieved using electrolyzed tap water (eW). The eNaHCO_3, although less efficient on fungal viability, provided a significant effect against fruit rot. The investigated electrolyzed solutions seem promising for reducing the waste of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Packaging can help prolong the shelf life of perishable agrifoods. In the present investigation, edible coatings were tested to reduce food waste caused by filamentous fungi and increase the shelf-life of high-value products such as strawberries, tomatoes, and blueberries. Different combinations of sodium alginate and calcium chloride, and various immersion times were tested on tomato as a model. The ability to activate edible coatings with food-grade compounds/extracts, such as sodium bicarbonate or Moringa oleifera extract (MLE), was explored. The extract was also tested in vitro against some of the main postharvest pathogens, such as Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata, Rhizopus stolonifer, Colletotrichum acutatum, and Penicillium expansum. The most suitable composition for the edible coating proved to be 2% sodium alginate and 2% calcium chloride. MLE proved not to reduce fungal growth, except for A. alternata and C. acutatum. Concerning active coatings, particularly those containing MLE, there was a reduction in the incidence of rots on strawberries (−45%) and tomatoes (−59%) as compared to the uncoated control. Furthermore, a reduction in the severity of rots was recorded in all tested fruits (−73% in tomato, −88% in strawberries, −47% in blueberries) as compared to the uncoated control. The active edible coatings could play a role in reducing rots, contributing to the extension of the shelf-life of the selected products.

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a globally significant crop increasingly affected by a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. Plant biostimulants offer a promising approach to enhance plant resilience by modulating key physiological and metabolic processes. This study aimed to demonstrate that the preventive application of a Fabaceae-based biostimulant can prime grapevine defense pathways, thereby improving plants’ ability to endure potential stress conditions. Indeed, resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses in plants involves common pathways, including Ca²⁺ and ROS signaling, MAPK cascades, hormone cross-talk, transcription factor activation, and induction of defense genes. Grapevine leaves were subjected to high-throughput transcriptomic analysis coupled with qPCR validation 6 and 24 h following treatment application. Differentially expressed genes were visualized using MapMan to identify the major metabolic and signaling pathways responsive to the treatment. This integrative analysis revealed several defense-related pathways triggered by the biostimulant, with representative protein families showing both up- and downregulation across key functional categories. Overall, the results indicate that a wider array of pathways associated with stress tolerance and growth regulation were stimulated in treated plants compared to untreated controls. These findings support the conclusion that a preventive biostimulant application can effectively prime grapevine metabolism, enhancing its preparation to cope with forthcoming environmental challenges.

Protein hydrolysates (PHs) are emerging as sustainable biostimulants capable of enhancing plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, PHs were produced in-house from soybean and pea flours through enzymatic hydrolysis using two proteolytic enzymes, alcalase and papain, yielding four hydrolysates (PH1–PH4). The resulting PHs were characterized in terms of protein content, degree of hydrolysis, and peptide composition. The efficacy of the PHs in protecting table grape berries against Botrytis cinerea , the causal agent of grey mould, was then evaluated on two cultivars, Red Globe and Italia. The soybean hydrolysate obtained with alcalase (PH1), applied at 3.2 mg/mL, was the most effective treatment in both cultivars, reducing disease incidence by up to 90% compared with untreated controls, with Red Globe showing the greatest responsiveness. In parallel, in vitro assays demonstrated that hydrolysates did not inhibit conidial germination, and only PH2 and PH4 exerted a limited formulation-specific reduction in mycelial growth; overall, these results suggested that their protective effect was largely mediated through indirect mechanisms associated with plant defence responses. Although further large-scale trials are needed, these findings indicate that flour-derived protein hydrolysates represent a promising, low-cost, and environmentally sustainable strategy for enhancing table grape resistance to B. cinerea and reducing reliance on synthetic plant protection products.