Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are a seasonal fruit, and remaining fresh on the market is only up to 3–4 months. The most common way to extend the period of grape consumption is to organize its long-term storage. By storing grapes, in addition to the natural loss in weight, waste also occurs, mainly caused by fungal infections. The presented research aspired to study the composition of epiphytic microflora on the grape cultivar berries immediately after harvest and long-term storage in the refrigerator and determine the effectiveness of using sulfur dioxide to prevent grape spoilage. The Azerbaijan local table grape cultivars Gara Shaani and Ag Shaani served as the objects of microbiological studies. Determining the fungal contaminations of the berries led the experiment to inoculate the growth medium. Fumigation application with sulfur dioxide helped suppress the harmful microorganisms’ activity. In fresh grape berries, the contamination microbiology differed sharply by grape cultivar. The fungi of the genus Aspergillus were visible in the cultivar Gara Shaani, while Penicillium in Ag Shaani. The results also have shown the effectiveness of using sulfur dioxide, which leads to a significant decline in fungi quantity by 87%.
Grapes (V. vinifera L.), Absheron peninsula, microflora, cultivars, fungi, storage technology, fumigation
In the stored grape (V. vinifera L.) berries, specific and varied microflora patterns were evident based on the biological characteristics of the studied cultivars.