THE EFFECTS OF SPRAY-DRYING ON THE VIABILITY OF FUNGOUS SPORES

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Abstract
A small laboratory-scale spray-drier was constructed and used to dehydrate suspensions of fungous spores in horse serum. From 64 to 97% of spores of Aspergillus flavus and Pestalotia palmarum survived spray-drying, whereas fewer than 10% of these spores survived freeze-drying in serum. When spray-dried A. flavus spores were stored in vacuo at 3oC, 40% were viable after 32 months. In contrast, only 0.14% of freeze-dried A. flavus spores survived such storage for 54 months. Evidence is presented to support the belief that the spore suspensions were as extensively dehydrated by spray-drying as by freeze-drying. It is concluded, therefore, that the relative innocuousness of spray-drying is an indication that rapid dehydration from the liquid state was less harmful to these spores than slow dehydration from the frozen state.
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