Adenosine triphosphate assay of Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) eggs treated with low or high temperatures

Abstract

A bioluminescent adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay using a luciferin-luciferase reagent was conducted as a viability test for Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae) eggs treated with low or high temperatures to evaluate the potential into use for quarantine operations. ATP concentrations in B. dorsalis eggs treated with different temperatures, including freezing, cold treatment, and rapid and slow heating, simulating a hot water immersion treatment and vapor heat treatment, respectively, were measured. Mean ATP concentrations in untreated eggs decreased as egg age increased. For freezing and rapid heating, the mean ATP concentrations in treated eggs significantly decreased 24 h after the treatments, and the maximum ATP concentrations were lower than the minimum ones for untreated eggs. Most ATP concentrations in the cold treatment group exceeded the minimum ones in untreated eggs. Mean ATP concentrations in eggs treated with slow heating decreased less than those in eggs treated with rapid heating. There is potential to use ATP assays in plant quarantine operations for the rapid determination of the viability of fruit fly eggs treated with hot water immersion, although more validation research is first required. Verification tests should be performed by applying ATP assays during quarantine, by using flies and host fruit subjected to different temperature treatments.