Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is susceptible to postharvest decay, and thus its storage and shelf life are limited. Thirty-one aquatic yeasts isolated from different regions were tested by the dual culture method to assess their potential to control gray mold of strawberry fruit, and the two yeasts with the highest inhibitory effect (58 and 72% at 2 d) were selected. In the volatile metabolites test, yeasts grown for 48 h were more effective than 24 h-yeasts. Growth of Botrytis cinerea was 13, 51 and 53 mm in the MMW8 isolate, the MBC25 isolate and the control, respectively, at 5 days. In the non-volatile metabolites test, the MBC25 isolate was more effective than the MMW8 isolate. Using biochemical and molecular methods, the MBC25 isolate was identified as Yarrowia lipolytica (Y. l) and MMW8 as Debromayses hansenii (D. h). Yeast suspensions (10 6 CFU/mL) were sprayed on strawberry fruit, and the fruit were stored at 4 and 20°C. D. h had stronger establishment on the fruit surface (3.9 and 4.2 Log CFU/g at 4 and 20°C, respectively) compared with Y. l, although both yeasts did control gray mold disease in vivo. D.h and Y.l suppressed total yeasts and molds, and the populations of aerobic mesophilic bacteria were lower in both than in the control. The decay index in fruit treated with D.h. and Y.l. was lower compared to the control group. At 4 and 20°C storage, the decay index was 0.05 (at 20 days) and 0.4 (at 6 days), respectively, for fruit treated with D.h. and Y.l., while it was twice as high in controls. Weight loss of treated fruit was lower than in controls after 4 d storage at 20°C (5 and 9%, respectively). Compared to untreated fruit, the treated fruit had less change in firmness, total soluble solids, TA, pH, ascorbic acid, and antioxidant capacity. Based on the findings, application of the selected yeasts as a biocontrol method has the potential to reduce strawberry postharvest losses.
