ABSTRACT
It has been demonstrated in Chapter 4 that, at least theoretically and in some instances in practice, survival parameters can be determined from nonisothermal data. Yet, the database for testing this concept and resulting models is extremely limited at the present time. Surprising as it may
sound, it is difficult to find suitable sets of nonisothermal survival data and corresponding accurate descriptions of the temperature profiles for proper analysis. This is primarily because the vast majority of the publications reporting thermal inactivation data were not intended to prove or disprove a modeling concept. Many were written with the first-order kinetics and log linearity of the
D
values’ temperature dependence taken for granted. Thus, they only contain lists of
D
and
z
values, the validity of which cannot be affirmed. Similar difficulties are encountered when one tries to interpret published results of nonthermal inactivation experiments and when the Arrhenius equation’s energy of activation (of inactivation) is reported — no pun intended.
