Modeling the growth of Aspergillus brasiliensis affected by a nonthermal plasma

Abstract

Aim: The main objective of the study was to develop and validate a model for the growth of Aspergillus brasiliensis on surfaces, specifically on agar culture medium. An additional aim was to determine conditions for complete growth inhibition of this micromycete using two different nonthermal plasma (NTP) sources.

Methods and results: The developed model uses two key parameters, namely the growth rate and growth delay, which depend on the cultivation temperature and the amount of inoculum. These parameters well describe the growth of A. brasiliensis and the effect of NTP on it. For complete fungus inactivation, a single 10-minute exposure to a diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge was sufficient, while a point-to-ring corona discharge required several repeated 10-minute exposures at 24-h intervals.

Conclusions: The article presents a model for simulating the surface growth of A. brasiliensis and evaluates the effectiveness of two NTP sources in deactivating fungi on agar media.

Keywords: Aspergillus brasiliensis; growth modeling; growth inhibition; nonthermal plasma.