2.4. Microbiological analysis and lemon decay
For each replicate and treatment 2 lemons were taken under
sterilized conditions (laminar fume cupboard and gloves). Each
lemon was washed in a bag containing 90 mL of sterile peptone
water with gentle shaking. Serial dilutions were carried out and
1 mL was added to plate count agar (Petrifilm Aerobic and Yeast
and Mould Count Plates, Laboratories 3M Santé, France). Samples
were loaded onto the plates and incubated during 3 days at 30 C
and 5 days at 25 C for mesophilic aerobes and yeast and mould,
respectively, and only counts of 30e300 colony forming units (CFU)
were considered. Results were expressed as CFU/mL (n ¼ 6). For
decay analysis, the number of decayed and faded lemons for each
replicate and treatment was counted, and then decay percentage
from the total fruits was calculated (n ¼ 3).