Mathematical Modelling on Survival of Cryptococcus albidus in Fuji Apple Wounds for Biocontrol Applications

In this study, the method of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) was used to model the survival ability of Cryptococcus albidus SAS157 as a biocontrol agent against mold spoilage on Fuji apple fruit. C. albidus (6, 9, or 11 log CFU/mL) and P. expansum (6 log CFU/mL) were inoculated the punctured holes on the surface of the apples and stored at various temperatures (4, 10, 15, and 25°C) and relative humidity (RH) levels (85% or 95%) for 14 days. C. albidus survived the best in apple wounds when the initial inoculum level was 9 log CFU/mL (p0.05). The growth of C. albidus was improved when the temperature was 4°C. A high correlation between actual values was calculated (R2~0.99) for the C. albidus survival within the range of the predicted conditions found by the model. These results indicated the potential of using C. albidus for reducing apple spoilage, with considerations for food safety practices due to its rare association with human infections.