Predictive Mycology: History and Importance of Data Collection

For over 30 years, predictive microbiology focused on food-pathogenic bacteria. The objectives of predictive mycology are to understand and to predict the development of fungi in food and raw materials; the inactivation of fungal spores in the food industry; and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, such as mycotoxins, throughout the food chain. The number of studies dedicated to food spoilage fungi has increased in recent years. Most of these studies were concerned with the effect of environmental factors on fungal growth, but the major issues were not addressed. Methods are not unique, and may depend on the objective of the study. Through the examples of fungal starters and food spoilage fungi, the more relevant factors and biological responses were highlighted. Secondary models that describe the effect of some environmental factors on these responses were also detailed.