Table 5.

Growth rate values and their 95% confidence limits and coefficients of determination (r ²) and RMSE of fit obtained with three-phase linear, Gompertz, and Baranyi growth models for the growth curves of Escherichia coli CECT 515 at 37°C in pH 5 TSB+YE inoculating 10², 10⁴, and 10⁶ CFU mL⁻¹.

Initial concentration (CFU mL−1)	Three-phase linear model			Gompertz model			Baranyi model
	Growth rate	r 2	RMSE	Growth rate	r 2	RMSE	Growth rate	r 2	RMSE
	(OD units h−1)			(OD units h−1)			(OD units h−1)
102	0.076 (0.073–0.078)	0.988	0.0425	0.094 (0.092–0.097)	0.997	0.0346	0.091	0.993	0.0516
	0.086 (0.084–0.088)	0.994	0.0295	0.100 (0.097–0.102)	0.998	0.0296	0.112	0.995	0.0469
	0.091 (0.089–0.093)	0.995	0.0284	0.106 (0.103–0.108)	0.998	0.0283	0.112	0.995	0.0478
	0.100 (0.096–0.105)	0.982	0.0516	0.118 (0.115–0.121)	0.998	0.0317	0.112	0.995	0.0456
	0.082 (0.078–0.085)	0.990	0.0414	0.100 (0.097–0.102)	0.998	0.0319	0.116	0.996	0.0412
	0.091 (0.088–0.094)	0.988	0.0478	0.114 (0.112–0.116)	0.999	0.0203	0.115	0.995	0.0453
	0.095 (0.093–0.097)	0.994	0.0348	0.113 (0.112–0.115)	0.999	0.0179	0.113	0.995	0.0482
	0.097 (0.095–0.099)	0.996	0.0230	0.111 (0.109–0.113)	0.999	0.0239	0.113	0.995	0.0465
	0.102 (0.100–0.104)	0.998	0.0173	0.116 (0.114–0.118)	0.999	0.0204	0.111	0.995	0.0489
	0.087 (0.085–0.089)	0.994	0.0300	0.100 (0.098–0.103)	0.998	0.0297	0.114	0.995	0.0475
	0.109 (0.107–0.111)	0.997	0.0215	0.125 (0.122–0.127)	0.999	0.0217	0.109	0.995	0.0458
	0.111 (0.108–0.114)	0.995	0.0285	0.126 (0.124–0.129)	0.999	0.0234	0.111	0.995	0.0444
	0.114 (0.111–0.117)	0.994	0.0319	0.132 (0.129–0.136)	0.999	0.0269	0.113	0.994	0.0499
	0.110 (0.106–0.114)	0.986	0.0516	0.132 (0.129–0.136)	0.999	0.0286	0.109	0.993	0.0543
	0.116 (0.113–0.119)	0.994	0.0330	0.136 (0.133–0.139)	0.999	0.0224	0.104	0.994	0.0516
	0.104 (0.101–0.106)	0.995	0.0318	0.120 (0.117–0.123)	0.998	0.0292	0.003	0.156	0.9944
	0.107 (0.105–0.109)	0.997	0.0223	0.122 (0.120–0.124)	0.999	0.0215	0.110	0.995	0.0465
	0.106 (0.104–0.109)	0.994	0.0332	0.122 (0.120–0.125)	0.999	0.0297	0.115	0.996	0.0443
	0.106 (0.103–0.108)	0.993	0.0378	0.123 (0.120–0.126)	0.999	0.0264	0.109	0.995	0.0456
	0.112 (0.106–0.118)	0.977	0.0629	0.136 (0.132–0.139)	0.999	0.0282	0.091	0.993	0.0501
	0.085 (0.083–0.087)	0.990	0.0415	0.106 (0.104–0.108)	0.999	0.0240	0.083	0.991	0.0576
	0.108 (0.106–0.110)	0.997	0.0223	0.121 (0.119–0.123)	0.999	0.0217	0.103	0.994	0.0499
	0.084 (0.081–0.088)	0.984	0.0507	0.098 (0.095–0.102)	0.996	0.0440	0.098	0.994	0.0500
	0.108 (0.106–0.110)	0.996	0.0260	0.125 (0.122–0.128)	0.999	0.0261	0.109	0.995	0.0458
	0.108 (0.106–0.111)	0.996	0.0277	0.125 (0.123–0.128)	0.999	0.0262	0.098	0.993	0.0525
	0.110 (0.106–0.114)	0.988	0.0484	0.132 (0.129–0.135)	0.999	0.0257	0.101	0.994	0.0498
	0.109 (0.106–0.111)	0.994	0.0338	0.128 (0.125–0.131)	0.999	0.0259	0.102	0.993	0.0517
	0.102 (0.100–0.104)	0.995	0.0264	0.116 (0.114–0.119)	0.999	0.0252	0.102	0.993	0.0536
	0.104 (0.101–0.108)	0.991	0.0394	0.121 (0.118–0.124)	0.998	0.0329	0.104	0.994	0.0499
	0.118 (0.115–0.121)	0.996	0.0275	0.137 (0.135–0.140)	0.999	0.0216	0.095	0.993	0.0510
104	0.090 (0.088–0.093)	0.993	0.0331	0.105 (0.102–0.107)	0.998	0.0319	0.090	0.996	0.0432
	0.099 (0.096–0.102)	0.991	0.0429	0.120 (0.117–0.1229)	0.998	0.0292	0.106	0.996	0.0437
	0.102 (0.099–0.104)	0.995	0.0283	0.117 (0.115–0.119)	0.999	0.0283	0.101	0.996	0.0477
	0.101 (0.099–0.103)	0.995	0.0304	0.117 (0.115–0.120)	0.998	0.0290	0.104	0.996	0.0418
	0.101 (0.099–0.104)	0.995	0.0283	0.115 (0.112–0.118)	0.998	0.0304	0.102	0.996	0.0452
	0.102 (0.100–0.104)	0.996	0.0295	0.118 (0.115–0.121)	0.998	0.0302	0.105	0.996	0.0433
	0.095 (0.093–0.098)	0.989	0.0464	0.116 (0.113–0.119)	0.998	0.0308	0.101	0.996	0.0476
	0.101 (0.098–0.103)	0.995	0.0279	0.115 (0.112–0.117)	0.998	0.0283	0.100	0.996	0.0450
	0.102 (0.100–0.104)	0.996	0.0257	0.116 (0.114–0.118)	0.999	0.0216	0.100	0.995	0.0477
	0.074 (0.070–0.079)	0.950	0.1039	0.116 (0.113–0.118)	0.999	0.0249	0.100	0.995	0.0479
	0.094 (0.091–0.096)	0.993	0.0315	0.110 (0.108–0.113)	0.998	0.0264	0.096	0.995	0.0465
	0.098 (0.095–0.100)	0.992	0.0431	0.118 (0.115–0.120)	0.999	0.0258	0.103	0.996	0.0431
	0.113 (0.111–0.116)	0.996	0.0264	0.131 (0.128–0.134)	0.999	0.0267	0.116	0.997	0.0427
	0.111 (0.109–0.114)	0.995	0.0278	0.126 (0.123–0.130)	0.998	0.0286	0.111	0.996	0.0453
	0.108 (0.106–0.110)	0.997	0.0231	0.123 (0.121–0.126)	0.999	0.0244	0.108	0.996	0.0444
	0.112 (0.109–0.115)	0.992	0.0362	0.128 (0.124–0.131)	0.998	0.0338	0.113	0.996	0.0452
	0.110 (0.107–0.112)	0.996	0.0256	0.125 (0.122–0.128)	0.999	0.0280	0.111	0.996	0.0429
	0.105 (0.102–0.107)	0.995	0.0302	0.123 (0.121–0.126)	0.999	0.0239	0.107	0.996	0.0460
	0.111 (0.107–0.116)	0.982	0.0638	0.140 (0.137–0.143)	0.999	0.0275	0.124	0.996	0.0443
	0.119 (0.117–0.121)	0.997	0.0225	0.137 (0.134–0.140)	0.999	0.0265	0.122	0.997	0.0400
	0.117 (0.113–0.120)	0.992	0.0399	0.140 (0.137–0.143)	0.999	0.0236	0.123	0.996	0.0454
	0.120 (0.118–0.122)	0.998	0.0218	0.138 (0.135–0.142)	0.999	0.0260	0.123	0.997	0.0401
	0.120 (0.117–0.122)	0.996	0.0274	0.137 (0.134–0.140)	0.999	0.0271	0.120	0.996	0.0471
	0.116 (0.113–0.119)	0.995	0.0304	0.132 (0.129–0.135)	0.999	0.0249	0.117	0.997	0.0397
	0.120 (0.117–0.123)	0.994	0.0329	0.137 (0.133–0.141)	0.998	0.0326	0.123	0.997	0.0424
	0.117 (0.114–0.119)	0.997	0.0247	0.135 (0.132–0.138)	0.999	0.0239	0.121	0.997	0.0374
	0.105 (0.101–0.109)	0.980	0.0715	0.137 (0.133–0.141)	0.998	0.0292	0.123	0.997	0.0371
	0.112 (0.110–0.114)	0.997	0.0216	0.128 (0.125–0.130)	0.999	0.0218	0.112	0.996	0.0458
	0.120 (0.117–0.122)	0.996	0.0278	0.137 (0.134–0.140)	0.999	0.0249	0.120	0.996	0.0449
	0.109 (0.106–0.112)	0.993	0.0318	0.124 (0.121–0.126)	0.999	0.0246	0.105	0.994	0.0531
106	0.092 (0.089–0.096)	0.989	0.0400	0.112 (0.109–0.114)	0.998	0.0269	0.091	0.993	0.0516
	0.114 (0.111–0.117)	0.994	0.0302	0.130 (0.126–0.134)	0.998	0.0325	0.112	0.995	0.0469
	0.101 (0.096–0.105)	0.979	0.0667	0.130 (0.127–0.134)	0.998	0.0278	0.112	0.995	0.0478
	0.115 (0.112–0.117)	0.996	0.0248	0.129 (0.126–0.132)	0.998	0.0267	0.112	0.995	0.0456
	0.112 (0.109–0.115)	0.995	0.0310	0.131 (0.128–0.135)	0.998	0.0303	0.116	0.996	0.0412
	0.115 (0.113–0.117)	0.996	0.0245	0.132 (0.129–0.135)	0.999	0.0259	0.115	0.995	0.0453
	0.117 (0.114–0.119)	0.997	0.0243	0.131 (0.128–0.135)	0.998	0.0280	0.113	0.995	0.0482
	0.113 (0.110–0.115)	0.995	0.0319	0.130 (0.126–0.134)	0.998	0.0321	0.113	0.995	0.0465
	0.114 (0.112–0.117)	0.995	0.0294	0.130 (0.126–0.133)	0.998	0.0298	0.111	0.995	0.0489
	0.114 (0.111–0.117)	0.995	0.0282	0.132 (0.129–0.134)	0.998	0.0284	0.114	0.995	0.0475
	0.111 (0.108–0.113)	0.997	0.0223	0.127 (0.124–0.130)	0.998	0.0269	0.109	0.995	0.0458
	0.112 (0.109–0.115)	0.995	0.0292	0.128 (0.125–0.132)	0.998	0.0309	0.111	0.995	0.0444
	0.116 (0.114–0.118)	0.997	0.0227	0.131 (0.128–0.135)	0.998	0.0261	0.113	0.994	0.0499
	0.069 (0.063–0.074)	0.903	0.1575	0.129 (0.127–0.132)	0.999	0.0248	0.109	0.993	0.0543
	0.108 (0.106–0.111)	0.996	0.0250	0.123 (0.120–0.126)	0.999	0.0243	0.104	0.994	0.0516
	0.120 (0.117–0.122)	0.995	0.0289	0.137 (0.133–0.140)	0.998	0.0291	0.003	0.156	0.9944
	0.112 (0.110–0.115)	0.996	0.0250	0.127 (0.124–0.131)	0.998	0.0289	0.110	0.995	0.0465
	0.113 (0.111–0.116)	0.996	0.0279	0.132 (0.129–0.136)	0.998	0.0284	0.115	0.996	0.0443
	0.102 (0.098–0.106)	0.987	0.0494	0.126 (0.123–0.129)	0.998	0.0261	0.109	0.995	0.0456
	0.086 (0.082–0.089)	0.982	0.0543	0.109 (0.106–0.112)	0.998	0.0278	0.091	0.993	0.0501
	0.079 (0.076–0.083)	0.975	0.0603	0.101 (0.098–0.105)	0.997	0.0353	0.083	0.991	0.0576
	0.106 (0.104–0.109)	0.995	0.0286	0.122 (0.119–0.125)	0.998	0.0281	0.103	0.994	0.0499
	0.102 (0.099–0.105)	0.993	0.0306	0.117 (0.114–0.119)	0.998	0.0261	0.098	0.994	0.0500
	0.111 (0.108–0.113)	0.996	0.0234	0.127 (0.124–0.130)	0.999	0.0251	0.109	0.995	0.0458
	0.102 (0.099–0.105)	0.992	0.0345	0.119 (0.116–0.121)	0.999	0.0240	0.098	0.993	0.0525
	0.104 (0.101–0.107)	0.993	0.0293	0.119 (0.116–0.122)	0.998	0.0258	0.101	0.994	0.0498
	0.071 (0.066–0.076)	0.931	0.1209	0.121 (0.118–0.124)	0.998	0.0250	0.102	0.993	0.0517
	0.105 (0.102–0.108)	0.994	0.0312	0.122 (0.119–0.125)	0.998	0.0266	0.102	0.993	0.0536
	0.106 (0.103–0.109)	0.993	0.0341	0.123 (0.120–0.126)	0.998	0.0270	0.104	0.994	0.0499
	0.094 (0.091–0.098)	0.989	0.0399	0.114 (0.111–0.117)	0.998	0.0292	0.095	0.993	0.0510