Mathematical modelling of Aspergillus ochraceus inactivation with supercritical carbon dioxide – A kinetic study

• Aspergillus ochraceus was inactivated with high pressure carbon dioxide at 30–50 °C and 5.4–7 MPa.
• Kinetics parameters (k and D) were estimated using linear regression.
• Three mathematical models were selected and compared.
• A. ochraceus P–T inactivation was described by a second order exponential function.

The aim of this research was to analyze and model the combined effect of pressure and temperature upon Aspergillus ochraceus spores exposed to high pressure carbon dioxide (HPCD) treatment and to estimate the kinetic parameters. Lately, many empirical or semi-empirical mathematical models were presented and discussed for different microorganisms, mainly bacteria, demonstrating an increased need for tools able to quantify the parameters of the microbial inactivation. A. ocharaceus HPCD inactivation was adequately described by first order reaction kinetics and a synergic effect of pressure and temperature was noticed for the experimental range where pressure varied from 5.4 to 7.0 MPa and temperature varied from 30 to 50 °C. The decimal reduction time (D) ranged from 47.07 min at 5.4 MPa and 30 °C to 5.04 min at 7.0 MPa and 50 °C. In this study three mathematical models were evaluated in order to find the best one that describes accurately the influence of pressure and temperature on the studied microbial response. An empirical exponential equation, that described pressure and temperature influence in the form of a polynomial equation, was found to best describe the dependence of A. ochraceus HPCD inactivation in the range 5.4–7.0 MPa and 30–50 °C.This work adds insight to moulds inactivation at the already existing body of knowledge on bacteria inactivation with HPCD and provides support to potential industrial applications of the minimal–thermal methods that combine high pressure and mild temperature with carbon dioxide for different food matrixes.