Post-Harvest Disease Control Using Bacteriophages: Current Strategies, Practical Applications, and Future Trends

Anna Hoffmann, Katarzyna Sadowska, Weronika Zenelt and Krzysztof Krawczyk ()
Additional contact information
Anna Hoffmann: Virology and Bacteriology Department, Institute of Plant Protection—National Research Institute, 60-318 Poznań, Poland
Katarzyna Sadowska: Plant Disease Clinic and Bank of Plant Pathogen, Institute of Plant Protection—National Research Institute, 60-318 Poznań, Poland
Weronika Zenelt: Plant Disease Clinic and Bank of Plant Pathogen, Institute of Plant Protection—National Research Institute, 60-318 Poznań, Poland
Krzysztof Krawczyk: Virology and Bacteriology Department, Institute of Plant Protection—National Research Institute, 60-318 Poznań, Poland

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-18

Abstract: Post-harvest bacterial infections pose a serious threat to modern agriculture, resulting in substantial financial losses and environmental issues. Every year, microbial spoiling causes a significant loss in fruit and vegetable production, and traditional control techniques are frequently insufficient. This review highlights novel delivery systems such as edible films and coatings while analyzing recent developments in bacteriophage-based post-harvest disease management techniques. Bacterial resistance, environmental stability, and regulatory issues restrict the use of bacteriophages, despite their high specificity, biodegradability, and low environmental impact. Phage viability in storage and the field has increased thanks to developments in formulation technologies, such as encapsulation and stabilization. The review highlights the practical implementation of phage applications in post-harvest disease management, with a particular focus on innovative delivery systems as well as integrating legal and regulatory viewpoints. By bridging scientific innovation with legal and commercial considerations, this work offers an interdisciplinary foundation for advancing sustainable, phage-based approach.

Keywords: bacteriophages; bio-control; post-harvest disease; regulatory aspects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/21/2261/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/21/2261/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:21:p:2261-:d:1783406

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().