Screening of different stress factors and development of growth/no growth models for Zygosaccharomyces rouxii in modified Sabouraud medium, mimicking intermediate moisture foods (IMF)

► Microbial stability of IMF cannot be guaranteed by simply lowering pH and aw. ► Sorbic acid is much more active than benzoic acid towards Zygosaccharomyces bailii. ► Incorporating time as a variable enlarges the growth/no growth boundary significantly. ► Beyond 30-40 days, the model remains stable regarding the influence of the stress factors.