A Coating Based on Bioactive Compounds from Streptomyces spp. and Chitosan Oligomers to Control Botrytis cinerea Preserves the Quality and Improves the Shelf Life of Table Grapes

is the most harmful postharvest disease of table grapes. Among the strategies that can be envisaged for its control, the use of coatings based on natural products is particularly promising. The study presented herein focuses on the assessment of the antagonistic capacity of two species and their culture filtrates against . Firstly, the secondary metabolites were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, with N1-(4-hydroxybutyl)-N3-methylguanidine acetate and 2R,3S-9-[1,3,4-trihydroxy-2-butoxymethyl]guanine acetate as the main compounds produced by DSM 40217; and cyclo(leucyloprolyl) and cyclo(phenylalanylprolyl) as the most abundant chemical species for DSM 41729. Subsequently, the capacity of DSM 40217 and DSM 41729 to inhibit the growth of the pathogen was tested in dual culture plate assays, finding 85-90% inhibition. In agar dilution tests, their culture filtrates resulted in effective concentration values (EC ) in the 246-3013 μg·mL range. Upon the formation of conjugate complexes with chitosan oligomers (COS) to improve solubility and bioavailability, a synergistic behavior was observed, resulting in lower EC values, ranging from 201 to 953 μg·mL . Ex situ tests carried out on 'Timpson' and 'Red Globe' table grapes using the conjugate complexes as coatings were found to maintain the turgor of the grapes and delay the appearance of the pathogen by 10-15 days at concentrations in the 750-1000 µg·mL range. Hence, the conjugate complexes of COS and the selected spp. culture filtrates may be put forward as promising protection treatments for the sustainable control of gray mold.