Microbial species are inherently variable, which is reflected in intraspecies genotypic and
phenotypic differences. Strain-to-strain variation gives rise to variability in stress resistance
and plays a crucial role in food safety and food quality. Here, strain variability in heat
resistance of asexual spores (conidia) of the fungal species Aspergillus niger, Penicillium
roqueforti and Paecilomyces variotii was quantified and compared to bacterial variability
found in the literature. After heat treatment, a 5.4-to 8.6-fold difference in inactivation rate …

Microbial species are inherently variable, which is reflected in intraspecies genotypic and
phenotypic differences. Strain-to-strain variation gives rise to variability in stress resistance
and plays a crucial role in food safety and food quality. Here, strain variability in heat
resistance of asexual spores (conidia) of the fungal species Aspergillus niger, Penicillium
roqueforti and Paecilomyces variotii was quantified and compared to bacterial variability
found in the literature. After heat treatment, a 5.4-to 8.6-fold difference in inactivation rate …