Bioinactivation: Software for modelling dynamic microbial inactivation. (March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Garre, Alberto; Fernández, Pablo S.; Lindqvist, Roland; Egea, Jose A.
• Is Part Of: Food research international. Volume 93(2017)
• Page Start: 66
• Page End: 74
• Publication Date: 2017-03
• Subjects: Predictive microbiology -- Non-isothermal microbial inactivation -- Model fitting -- Freeware tool; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food industry and trade -- Periodicals; Food industry and trade -- Canada -- Periodicals; Food Technology -- Periodicals; Food -- Periodicals; Food-Processing Industry -- Periodicals; Aliments -- Industrie et commerce -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Industrie et commerce -- Canada -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Recherche -- Périodiques; Food industry and trade; Canada; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 664.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2017.01.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0963-9969

Abstract

Abstract: This contribution presents the bioinactivation software, which implements functions for the modelling of isothermal and non-isothermal microbial inactivation. This software offers features such as user-friendliness, modelling of dynamic conditions, possibility to choose the fitting algorithm and generation of prediction intervals. The software is offered in two different formats: Bioinactivation core and Bioinactivation SE . Bioinactivation core is a package for the R programming language, which includes features for the generation of predictions and for the fitting of models to inactivation experiments using non-linear regression or a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm (MCMC). The calculations are based on inactivation models common in academia and industry (Bigelow, Peleg, Mafart and Geeraerd). Bioinactivation SE supplies a user-friendly interface to selected functions of Bioinactivation core, namely the model fitting of non-isothermal experiments and the generation of prediction intervals. The capabilities of bioinactivation are presented in this paper through a case study, modelling the non-isothermal inactivation of Bacillus sporothermodurans . This study has provided a full characterization of the response of the bacteria to dynamic temperature conditions, including confidence intervals for the model parameters and a prediction interval of the survivor curve. We conclude that the MCMC algorithm produces a better characterization of the biological uncertainty and variability than non-linear regression. The bioinactivation software can be relevant to the food and pharmaceutical industry, as well as to regulatory agencies, as part of a (quantitative) microbial risk assessment. Graphical abstract: Highlights: Bioinactivation is a freeware tool for modelling dynamic microbial inactivation. Bioinactivation core is an R package which implements the mathematical functions. Bioinactivation SE is a user-friendly interface to Bioinactivation core . Being open source, it can be extended or incorporated in other analysis tools.