In the present chapter, results about the efficacy of chitosan (Chi) on sporulation, mycelial growth, germination, as well as quality parameters on fruits are shown. The results demonstrate that chitosan can control various phytopathogen isolates from diverse fruits. The pathogens in the genera Colletotrichum, Fusarium, and Rhizopus are involved in important postharvest disease losses throughout the world. In Nayarit, producers had reported high postharvest losses not only at field but also during the commercial chain with their products, besides the resistance of several pathogens to fungicides, which traditionally are applied for controlling diseases. In this sense, the aim of this research group is focused on the research of alternative and effective methods for controlling postharvest diseases. In vivo results are promising due to a good control in important tropical fruits like banana, avocado, mango, and jackfruit. An enhancement in the chitosan antimicrobial activity is reported with the combination with GRAS substances, as well as the use of nanotechnology. Chitosan can be an environment-friendly alternative to the use of chemical fungicides for controlling postharvest diseases in fruits.

Crown rot, caused by Fusarium species, is the most devastating postharvest disease in bananas. Fungicides are traditionally applied as a postharvest treatment to control crown rot in bananas. However, there is a need to research environmentally friendly compounds as postharvest treatments instead of chemical fungicides. The phenolic compounds gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and chlorogenic acid were identified in coconut mesocarp extract. Overall, the treatments were more efficient in crown-based than fruit-based culture mediums. The mycelial development was inhibited in a range from 20 to 26% (applying coconut mesocarp extract at 5%) compared to the control. Sporulation and spore germination were significantly inhibited, with a reduction of 88% in spore production and 91% in spore germination inhibition compared to the control. In in vivo tests, the aqueous extracts were effective by limiting the percentage of infected fruit, crown rot, and fruit severity. The use of coconut mesocarp extracts can be an effective and environmentally friendly alternative to the use of fungicides for controlling Fusarium musae on bananas.

Tropical fruit processing generates substantial quantities of seed-derived by-products that remain underutilized despite their potential as sources of bioactive compounds, proteins, lipids, dietary fiber, and polysaccharides. This critical narrative review evaluates their conversion into functional ingredients by integrating compositional variability, pretreatment and extraction, antinutritional-factor mitigation, structural characterization, food-system performance, storage stability, gastrointestinal behavior, safety, regulatory readiness, and scale-up feasibility. Direct evidence was distinguished from mechanistic support derived from non-target botanical matrices. An exploratory semantic clustering of 100 PubMed records published in 2024–2026 was conducted with Carrot2 to organize application-oriented themes and identify knowledge gaps; its output was interpreted as a thematic aid rather than a quantitative trend analysis. The review also examines biochar production from exhausted or non-food-grade seed biomass as a complementary cascading route, considering feedstock properties, thermochemical conditions, physicochemical quality, safety, application performance, and techno-economic constraints. The main contribution is an evidence-derived multi-stage decision framework linking ingredient validation with residual-biomass valorization. Current evidence supports promising nutritional and technological applications but remains heterogeneous and predominantly laboratory-based, with limited standardized comparisons, in vivo validation, regulatory assessment, and pilot-scale studies. Advancing these materials therefore requires application-specific, safety-oriented, and economically realistic validation within circular bioeconomy systems.