Shelf-life in cucurbitacin-containing phytonematicides: Non-conformity to Arrhenius model

Shelf-life information provides end-users with the assurance that the product is still in compliance with label claims. Behavioral reaction orders of the Arrhenius model had been consistently used under fixed conditions to provide shelf-life in food products. Due to non-conformity of the cucurbitacin-containing phytonematicides to the Arrhenius behavioral reaction orders, an alternative quadratic model consistent with the behavioral reaction orders of cucurbitacins was developed under chilled (5°C at 95–98% RH) and fixed tropical (38°C at 90% RH) conditions, while room temperature constituted unfixed conditions. Sampling for cucurbitacins was done at time-frames compliant with geometric series, with cucurbitacin analysis regularly performed using high-performance liquid chromatography techniques. Under chilled conditions, neither the Arrhenius nor the quadratic model could predict the shelf-life for Nemarioc-AL phytonematicide, whereas Nemafric-BL phytonematicide had shelf-life of 35 weeks. In contrast, under tropical conditions, the positive quadratic models showed that Nemarioc-AL and Nemafric-BL phytonematicides had shelf-life of 35 and 825 weeks, respectively. In conclusion, the two phytonematicides could be stored under fixed tropical conditions to enhance the shelf-life of their active ingredients.