The field of predictive microbiology has, historically, focused on foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Models describing spoilage and, specifically, those dedicated to yeast and moulds remain sparse. Spoilage due to yeasts and moulds is, however, an issue of concern for the food industry as it can lead to product recalls, food waste, great economic losses, and it can even ruin a company’s reputation.

Prevention of mould and yeast spoilage can be accomplished at the factory by limiting initial contamination and controlling growth of spoilage microorganisms in the products. For products where contamination can be minimized, but not eradicated, control of mould spoilage is traditionally based on formulation and validated by predictive models or challenge tests to define a suitable shelf-life. These approaches and challenge test designs are quite different from those currently used for bacteria.    

The purpose of this symposium is to give the audience: [1]  an introduction to the field of predictive mycology and an overview of challenge test approaches for determining their growth and inactivation in food; [2] a presentation of a selection of available models and their use in industrial applications; and [3] a presentation of a user-friendly software to predict the behaviour of yeasts and moulds in intermediate moisture food.

Presentations