title: Ethyl Formate Fumigation of Dry and Semidry Date Fruits: Experimental Kinetics, Modeling, and Lethal Effect on Carob Moth.
abstract: Ethyl formate (EF) was studied as a fumigant agent with the objective to replace methyl bromide (MB) for date fruit disinfestations. Date fruits Phoenix dactylifera 'Deglet Nour' with different initial moisture content (16% for dry dates, 20% for semidry dates, and a mixture of the two types) were separately fumigated with EF at different concentrations: 28.6, 57.3, 85.9, and 114.6 g/m3 for 2 h. Experimental data of EF sorption during fumigation was successfully fitted to Peleg's model. This model allows the prediction of the effects of date moisture content and EF concentration on sorption behavior. Samples with different moisture content showed similar EF sorption behavior. Dates were artificially infested with carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller)) at different life stages. Eggs, third- and fifth-instars, and pupae were exposed to 28.6, 57.3, 85.9, and 114.6 g/m3 EF for 2 h. Among these life stages, fifth-instars were the most resistant to EF fumigation. A 2-h fumigation with 114.6 g/m3 EF provided complete control of eggs, third-instars, and pupae of carob moth, and generated 91.6% mortality of fifth-instars. A longer fumigation time or higher EF concentration may provide complete control of all life stages of carob moth.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'économie Sciences et Technologies Alimentiares LR03AGR01. Department of Food Technology, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia. haithem_bessi@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Haithem
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bessi
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'économie Sciences et Technologies Alimentiares LR03AGR01. Department of Food Technology, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sihem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bellagha
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Protection and Post-harvest Diseases, Laboratory of Entomology-Acarology, National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Kaouthar Grissa
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Lebdi
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
authors.forename: Veronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bikoba
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mitcham
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D005563:Formic Acid Esters; D005651:Fumigation; D007300:Insect Control; D007306:Insecticides; D007814:Larva / Q000254:growth & development; D009036:Moths / Q000254:growth & development; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development; D065749:Phoeniceae / Q000502:physiology; D011679:Pupa / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D005563:Formic Acid Esters; D007306:Insecticides; C510888:ethyl formate
keywords: Peleg model; Vapormate; carbon dioxide; moisture content; sorption