Prediction of Mold Spoilage for SoyPolyethylene Composite Fibers

Abstract EN

Mold spoilage was determined over 109 days on soy/PE fibers held under controlled temperatures (T) ranging from 10°C to 40°C and water activities ( a w ) from 0.11 to 0.98.

Water activities were created in sealed containers using saturated salt solutions and placed in temperature-controlled incubators.

Soy/PE fibers that were held at 0.823 a w or higher exhibited mold growth at all temperatures.

As postulated, increased water activity (greater than 0.89) and temperature (higher than 25°C) accelerated mold growth on soy/PE fibers.

A slower mold growth was observed on soy/PE fibers that were held at 0.87 a w and 10°C.

A Weibull model was employed to fit the observed logarithmic values of T , a w , and an interaction term log T × log a w and was chosen as the final model as it gave the best fit to the raw mold growth data.

These growth models predict the expected mold-free storage period of soy/PE fibers when exposed to various environmental temperatures and humidities.