Fungal diseases result in significant losses of fruits and vegetables during handling, transportation and storage. At present, post-production fungal spoilage is predominantly controlled by using synthetic fungicides. Under the global climate change scenario and with the need for sustainable agriculture, biological control methods of fungal diseases, using antagonistic microorganisms, are emerging as ecofriendly alternatives to the use of fungicides. The potential of microbial antagonists, isolated from a diversity of natural habitats, for postharvest disease suppression has been investigated. Postharvest biocontrol systems involve tripartite interaction between microbial antagonists, the pathogen and the host, affected by environmental conditions. Several modes for fungistatic activities of microbial antagonists have been suggested, including competition for nutrients and space, mycoparasitism, secretion of antifungal antibiotics and volatile metabolites and induction of host resistance. Postharvest application of microbial antagonists is more successful for efficient disease control in comparison to pre-harvest application. Attempts have also been made to improve the overall efficacy of antagonists by combining them with different physical and chemical substances and methods. Globally, many microbe-based biocontrol products have been developed and registered for commercial use. The present review provides a brief overview on the use of microbial antagonists as postharvest biocontrol agents and summarises information on their isolation, mechanisms of action, application methods, efficacy enhancement, product formulation and commercialisation.

Makhana (Euryale ferox) seed, commonly known as gorgon nut or fox nut, is an aquatic crop cultivated in stagnant water bodies like ponds, land depressions, lakes, swamps, and ditches. It belongs to water lily family, Nymphaeaceae, which has cultivation history exceeding more than 2000 years in Asia. This black seed is round in shape with a diameter ranging from 4.5 to 14.5 mm and having hard shell as an outer most structure (Jha & Prasad, 1993). The edible part of the seed is the starchy kernel, which cannot be separated easily from its hard shell. Therefore, the raw makhana seeds are generally processed (popping) to obtain popped makhana for edible use. The consumption of popped makhana has been increased worldwide in the past few years due to its health benefits, lightness, and crispiness (APEDA, 2017). Popped makhana is highly nutritious due to its negligible fat content, high quality protein, and presence of various health promoting bioactive compounds. The high amino acid index (89%-93%) and better arginine + lysine/proline ratio (4.7-7.6) make it superior in comparison to other cereals for achieving the amino acid requirements of the human body (Jha, Barat, & Jha, 1991). The popping is done by initial roasting (270-280°C), tempering (48 hr), final roasting (260-270°C) and breaking of the hard shell for expansion of seed in hot condition (Jha & Prasad, 1996). In the initial roasting of raw seeds, the gelatinization, and retrogradation of starch molecules take place. The initial roasting brings characteristic changes and results in expansion of kernels (popping) during the second roasting. Popping process of makhana seeds is entirely different from rice and cocoa beans. The hull of paddy is removed after parboiling and then puffing is done through roasting (Mir, Bosco, Shah, & Mir, 2016). In cocoa beans, roasting and puffing is done in a single operation (Hu

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