A model for the combined effects of temperature and salt concentration on growth rate of food spoilage molds

Abstract

We modeled mold growth on a solid culture medium at various temperatures and NaCl concentrations by using five common food spoilage molds (Penicillium roqueforti, Trichoderma harzianum, Paecilomyces variotii, Aspergillus niger, and Emericella nidulans). For the description of the growth rate (expressed as the increase in colony diameter per unit of time) as a function of temperature and NaCl concentration, a six-parameter model has been developed. The model combines either the Rosso-type or the Ratkowsky-type temperature dependence with the NaCl concentration dependence derived from the relationship between the growth rate and square root of (1 - water activity), as proposed by Gibson and coworkers (A. M. Gibson, J. Baranyi, J. I. Pitt, M. J. Eyles, and T. A. Roberts, Int. J. Food Microbiol. 23:419-431, 1994). The model will be of use to food microbiologists whose aim is to predict the likelihood of fungal spoilage.