Fresh whole peanuts were obtained from Provigo,
Montreal. The peanuts were usually inspected for defects,
e.g. discoloration, mold growth and defective
peanuts were removed from the batch. The sound
peanuts were then shelled and 250 g amounts placed
in autoclavable desiccators containing glycerol solutions
of known water activity (0.96). This was then
sterilized by autoclaving for 15 min at 121°C. Peanuts
were then allowed to equilibrate at room temperature
until the desired equilibrium water activity was
reached. Water activity measurements of adjusted
peanuts were done on each batch of peanuts using a
previously calibrated Decagon water activity meter
(Decagon Device Inc. Pulhnan, WA, USA). All measurements
were done at 25°C and had an accuracy of
f 0.5%. Random samples of the sterilized peanuts
were checked for sterility using Potato Dextrose Agar
(PDA, Difco). All peanuts tested negative for mold
growth. Fifty gram amounts of the sterile peanuts
were then weighed into 150 X 15 mm petri dishes and
inoculated with 104 spores of A. JEavu.s. For each
packaging condition, three inoculated plates and one
non-inoculated plate (control) were packaged.