*2.4. Artificial Contamination of Bread*

A preparation of fungal spores was obtained by brushing with a sterile swab the plate surface of each five-day-grown mold. Spores were resuspended in sterile distilled water and concentrated at 8 <sup>×</sup> <sup>10</sup><sup>4</sup> spores mL−<sup>1</sup> . Artificially contaminated samples were obtained by spraying 15 mL of the spore solution on the surface of the bread. Samples were immediately packaged using polyethylene terephthalate bags and stored for 7 days at room temperature. At this time, the in vivo antagonistic activity against each tested mold was qualitatively determined by comparing the area contaminated by the spoilage fungi in bread fermented with the starter yeast or co-fermented with *L. plantarum* UFG 121. Results were expressed according to the following scale: no/low (−), moderate (+), high (+ +), and very high (+ + +) inhibition activity, if the area covered by each filamentous fungi in bread co-fermented with UFG 121 strain was reduced in the ranges 0–25%, 25–50%, 50–75%, and 75–100%, respectively.
