A mathematical analysis of microbial inactivation at linearly rising temperatures: calculation of the temperature rise needed to kill Listeria monocytogenes in different foods and methods for dynamic measurements of D and z values.

From a theoretical analysis of the inactivation of microbes heated at linearly rising temperatures an equation was derived for predicting the linear temperature rise needed to reduce viable numbers of microbes by any chosen factor. This equation is used to predict the temperatures needed to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes in different foods based on published D and z values. Two novel mathematical methods for deriving D and z values from viable counts obtained at linearly rising temperatures are also presented.