Relevant issues in predictive mycology

For over 30 years, predictive microbiology focused on food-pathogenic bacteria. The objective of predictive mycology is 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 a lot these 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, food spoilage fungi, and mycotoxin accumulation, the more relevant factors, biological responses and predictive models are detailed.