A Study on the Relationship between Spore Count and Color Difference Values during the Mildewing Process of Paper Wine Boxes

Abstract

Changes in the number of mold spores and the color difference values of cardboard were evaluated during the molding process of paper wine boxes. The experiment utilized three types of cardboard: single white industrial paperboard (Q), grey-offset paperboard (S), and grey-coated white paperboard (T), along with nine strains of mold collected from mold-contaminated paper wine box samples. The molds were identified using both morphological and molecular techniques. These nine strains were inoculated on the surface of the cardboard and incubated at 28 °C and 98% relative humidity for 28 days to assess the number of mold spores and the color difference values. The results indicated a gradual increase in both the number of mold spores and the color difference values over the 28-day period. The total spore count was highest on cardboard type Q, followed by S and T (T < S < Q), whereas the average color difference value followed the reverse order (S < Q < T). A linear correlation model between the color difference value and spore count was developed using Matlab software to fit the data, providing a method to predict the number of mold spores based on the color difference values of the cardboard.