The effects of dry-cured ham initial water activity on Tyrophagus putrescentiae infestations

A 5 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement within a completely randomized design was used to evaluate the effect of aw (0.65, 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, and 0.85), RH (65% and 75%) and temperature (24 °C and 28 °C) on Tyrophagus putrescentiae growth, on ham cubes in two separate experiments, one for treated nets (infused with propylene glycol (PG) + propylene glycol alginate (PGA) + carrageenan (CG) + water) and one for untreated control nets. For treated nets, water activity and temperature did not affect mite growth. When control nets were used, there was no difference due to aging temperature, but there were more mites (P