Kefir-derived microorganisms and bioactive materials for antifungal control, mycotoxin mitigation and postharvest protection: a synthesis of experimental evidence

Abstract

Kefir-derived interventions, including whole kefir preparations, kefir grains, microbial consortia, isolated microorganisms, cell-free fractions, extracellular polymeric materials and inactivated biomass, are increasingly evaluated as biological tools for crop protection, mycotoxin mitigation and agro-food preservation. This review synthesized the experimental evidence supporting such applications and appraised its methodological robustness, using contextual bibliometric mapping to delimit the field. Four complementary Scopus searches were conducted on 11 July 2026 without restrictions, and 72 unique records published between 1989 and 2026 were retained. Thirty-three reports were sought in full text; 12 could not be retrieved, 21 were assessed and 20 entered the qualitative synthesis and a ten-domain methodological and translational appraisal. Applied evidence concentrated on fungal control, mycotoxin binding or analytical reduction, postharvest protection, simulated storage, food biopreservation and preliminary plant or compost applications. Controlled studies reported activity against Aspergillus, Fusarium, Penicillium, plant-pathogenic bacteria and foodborne microorganisms, together with reductions in analytically detectable aflatoxins, patulin, deoxynivalenol and other mycotoxins. Nevertheless, analytical reduction, adsorption, retention, degradation and detoxification were not always distinguished in the primary literature. Only three studies provided relatively complete experimental support for the proposed mechanism, nine demonstrated adequate biological replication and two fully met the safety/adverse-effects appraisal criterion. No eligible field trials were identified within the database and eligibility framework used in this review. The contextual mapping confirmed a field still anchored in food fermentation, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and probiotics, with soil, crop-yield and field terms absent from the most frequent keywords. Kefir-derived microorganisms and bioactive materials therefore warrant further investigation for biocontrol and agro-food protection, but current evidence does not support their general classification as standardized agricultural bioinputs or validated detoxification technologies.