EFFECT OF MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE ON OBVIOUS AND HIDDEN CONTAMINATION TO CONTROL OF PLODIA INTERPUNCTELLA (HUBNER) AND TRIBOLIUM CONFUSUM JACQUELIN DU VAL INSIDE HIGHLY PERMEABLE PACKAGES

The development of stored products pests in foodstuffs is one of the most important challenges in the food packaging industry. In this research, the control of two species of the most important stored product pests placed inside the packages composed of two types of permeable wrappers under modified atmospheric conditions was studied. The experiments were performed at 25 ± 2 °C and 35± 5% r.h. with exposure period 7 days. Two pest species (Tribolium confusum Jacquelin Du Val and Plodia interpunctella (Hubner)), three foodstuffs (wheat, wheat flour and rolled oats) with two wrappers (Wovenpolypropylene/laminated-perforated and Non-woven-polypropylene fabric) were placed inside the chamber with three levels of O3 gas (50, 100 and 150 ppm) in base atmosphere of 70% CO2. The results of obvious and hidden contamination experiments showed that the mortality rate of confused flour beetle was lower than that of the Indian-meal moth at 0.05 level. Among the foodstuff treatments, the lowest mortality rate was observed in wheat flour. Also, wheat treatment had different effects on two species of pests. The NWPP wrapper showed a higher mortality rate than the WPP/LP. The highest mortality rates were obtained at concentrations of 100 and 150 ppm of O3 gas