## 1 Introduction  
Table and wine grapes (_Vitis viifera_ L.) are widely cultured in Italy, with an annual production of 8,437,970 tonnes, ranking third in the world [1]. With a constant annual output of about 865,839 tonnes in 2023 [2], Italy serves as Europe's primary table grape supplier. The majority of these grapes are sent to Northern Europe, particularly the organic ones. Table grapes are susceptible to severe pathological and physiological decay that dramatically impairs the quality and reduces marketability after harvesting. Low storage temperatures (-1 \(\pm\) 0 \({}^{\circ}\)C) and high relative humidity levels (>90%) are paramount to protecting table grapes against drying post-harvest [3]. Nonetheless, even during cold storage, some disorders could appear due to the high level of relative humidity and unfavourable oxygen (O\({}_{2}\)) and carbon dioxide (CO\({}_{2}\)) partial pressure inside the cold storage room. Grey mould, stem browning and desiccation, softening, and water loss are the main causes of losses occurring in post-harvest even at low temperatures [4, 5, 6]. In conventional production, table grape bunches are treated using sulphur dioxide (SO\({}_{2}\)) to reduce the fungal decay, primarily caused by _Botrits cinerea_, the aetiological agent of grey mould [7, 8]. SO\({}_{2}\) treatment may cause unacceptable bleaching injuries on berries, such as colour changing, pitting, and compromising their flavour [9, 10]. Furthermore, the emerging attention to the exposure in sensitive consumers has prompted the US Food and Drug Administration to reduce SO2 post-harvest use and have mandated the labelling of sulphites when residual levels exceed 10 uL L-1 [11] and the European Union to forbid post-harvest the use of SO2 for organic crops [12]. Without SO2 treatments, the life of the product does not exceed seven days at room temperature or roughly fourteen days at 0-2 \({}^{\circ}\)C [5,13]. Nowadays, many alternative techniques for SO2 have been developed both at the pre- and post-harvest stages. Among in-field operations, biocontrol agents (BAs) are a promising alternative to reduce the incidence of grey mould decay caused by _B. cinerea_. BAs are antagonistic microorganisms such as fungi (_Aureboashiium pullulans_, _Trichoderma atoviride_) and bacteria (_Bacillus subtilis_ QST _713_, _Bacillus amyloidateaciens_ FZB24) that are used to counteract fungal diseases or plant pathogens, and their efficacy depends upon the temperature and humidity level of the environment [14,15]. _A. pullulans_ can inhabit a wide variety of habitats, including saline, cold, water-stressed, and low-nutrient environments [16] and guarantee a high level of control of _Botrytis_ spp. thanks to its high tolerance to various ecological stresses, antifungal activity, and biostimulant properties, chiefly due to pullulan production [17,18]. Different shock treatments in post-harvest to reduce organic table grape decay have been successfully explored, such as precooling [19], CO2 [20], ozone (O3) [21], ethanol (C2H6O) [22], followed by warehouse storage simulation in a controlled atmosphere (CA) environment of a massive bulk product (\(\geq\)5 kg) in a box or modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of small amount of product (\(<\)500 g) intended for household consumption. In those conditions, the shelf life of organic table grapes could be extended up to 90 days (Table 1). The target of these techniques is to reduce water loss, mitigate the shrivelling of stems and berries and slow down the product's and endogenous microflora's metabolic activities.