Aims: To model survival curves of Dothiorella gregaria Sacc. and Fusarium tricinctum (Corda) Sacc. spores inoculated on fresh chestnut kernel exposed to aqueous chlorine dioxide (ClO(2)).
Methods and results: Spores of two dominant spoilage fungi, D. gregaria and F. tricinctum, were inoculated onto chestnut kernel and treated with ClO(2) . The inactivation efficacy of ClO(2) treatment increased with ClO(2) concentration and treatment time. The Weibull model was the best model to describe the ClO(2) survival curves of D. gregaria, while the modified Gompertz model was most appropriate for fitting the survival curves of F. tricinctum. Within the range of ClO(2) concentration from 3 to 7 mg l(-1) , the n values in the Weibull model were similar. The b value in the Weibull model and decimal logarithms of the M, B and C values in the modified Gompertz model had linear relationships with ClO(2) concentration. After simplification, these two models still provided acceptable predictions.
Conclusion: Applying models for describing survival curves of fungal spores on chestnut kernel by aqueous ClO(2) was feasible.
Significance and impact of the study: This work would promote the application of ClO(2) sanitizing technique and mathematical models when preventing the occurrence of chestnut kernel decay.
© 2011 The Authors. Letters in Applied Microbiology © 2011 The Society for Applied Microbiology.