Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) as an alternative measure for controlling ten pests that attack processed food products
Introduction
Despite the advances in pest management during the storage of commodities that have been achieved in recent years, it is still not possible to exclude all insects and mites from final food products at the end of the manufacturing process. The presence of arthropods in the final products that reach the consumer may be due to their ability to survive the manufacturing process. For example, the immature developmental stages of some weevil pest species that affect whole grain cereals during storage can survive the milling and extrusion processes and individuals may be visible in the final product (Lucas and Riudavets, 2000). Mites can contaminate some products, such as cured ham, cheese, pet food and some cereal by-products, when they are processed and/or stored under high humidity conditions. The presence of arthropods in final products can also be due to cross-contamination before the packaging process. For example, adult moths flying over manufactured food, packaging lines and/or storage areas in food facilities may lay eggs that would later be present in final packaged products such as flour, pasta, pet food, biscuits, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, powdered milk and other foodstuffs. In addition, crawling adult beetles and psocids may be present in some food facilities and colonize final food products stored in silos and warehouses.
Fumigating food products during the manufacturing process, using methyl bromide (MB) to control any pest infestation by insects and mites, used to be common practice in a number of countries. However, since the Montreal Protocol decided to phase out the use of MB (UNEP, 2006), and since the number of other pesticides recognized by most national regulations is limited, it is necessary to implement alternative strategies for the treatment of food products. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) concept includes the use of biological, physical and chemical preventive control measures (Subramanyam and Hagstrum, 2000). IPM generally tries to avoid or minimize the use of conventional pesticides by using non-chemical control methods whenever possible. It is therefore desirable to implement IPM programs in the processing and distribution chains as alternatives to fumigation treatments.
Modified atmospheres have been used for disinfesting raw or semi-processed food products such as cereal grains and dried fruits while still in storage. Treatments based on reduced oxygen (O2) and high carbon dioxide (CO2) or nitrogen (N2) contents are technically suitable alternatives to fumigation for arthropod pest control in durable commodities (Fleurat-Lessard, 1990, Adler et al., 2000, Navarro, 2006). The effectiveness of modified atmospheres for the control of various different insect and mite species has been tested in the laboratory and under industrial conditions. Atmospheres rich in CO2, with more than 40% in air, are faster at controlling pests than those with high contents of N2 (Navarro, 2006). CO2 has a toxic effect on insect pests and does not only act as an inert gas that reduces the oxygen level below the level needed to support life. Data on the effects of different types of CO2 treatments and dosages on key pests are available for many species and stages of stored-product pests under particular sets of conditions (Banks and Annis, 1990, White et al., 1995). Depending on the temperature, CO2 treatments may take from a few days to several weeks to be effective in gas-tight chambers or silos.
Once the final product is packed, it is not usual to apply any control measures for residual pests and the possible contamination of food products by arthropods at this final step of the food chain is not normally addressed. Modified atmospheres may also be applied at this stage in order to control the residual occurrence of pests after the manufacturing process and to prevent further infestation in the final package that reaches the consumer. In a laboratory study, New and Rees (1988) have already shown the ability of three different types of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to control the beetles Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) beetles on cowpea, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) on wheat flour and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) on wheat.
The present study aimed to establish the efficacy of using MAP with a high CO2 content to control pests in final food products during their storage, distribution and marketing. In our study we included a spectrum of species and all of their developmental stages that could be present in a wide range of food products. Two CO2 MAPs, 50% and 90%, were applied in order to identify the pest species and developmental stages that were most tolerant to the treatments. We tested four external feeding Coleoptera (Lasioderma serricorne (F.), Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.) and Tribolium confusum du Val), two internal feeding Coleoptera (Sitophilus oryzae (L.) and R. dominica), two Lepidoptera (Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) and Ephestia kuehniella Zeller), a psocid (Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel), and a mite (Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank)).
Section snippets
Materials and methods
Individuals of the species tested were reared on standard diets in a climatic chamber at 25 ± 1 °C, 70 ± 10% relative humidity (r.h.), and with a photoperiod of 16:8, L:D. Ventilated plastic cages were prepared that contained a minimum of 50 individuals and 20 g of a standard food diet per cage. Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of each species were evaluated separately, except for S. oryzae, R. dominica and T. putrescentiae for which several stages were tested together due to the difficulty of
Analysis of gases
The CO2 and O2 contents within the sealed plastic packages during exposure to modified atmospheres are shown in Fig. 1. Levels of CO2 in the sealed plastic bags declined slowly during exposure for both of the MAPs tested. However, 4 days after dosing, the CO2 contents in the bags filled with initial modified atmospheres of 50% and 90% CO2 were still above 45% and 80%, respectively. Twelve days after dosing, the CO2 contents in the bags had only decreased to 40% and 75%, respectively, for 50%
Discussion
The air-tightness of the plastic bags used in the present experiment was good and CO2 and O2 contents during exposure were maintained close to initial levels for both the MAPs tested (Fig. 1). The tested Cryovac bags are common in food packaging, and their barrier properties to gasses are claimed by several film manufacturers. Levels of sealing achieved in our experiment can easily be obtained with a regular automated packaging system and handling of packages normally does not interfere with
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by a grant from the Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agraria y Alimentaria RTA 2005-00068 (FEDER) and also by S.E. de Carburos Metálicos S.A.
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