Abstract
Interest in the use of gases in the packaging of cooked food products
has increased considerably in recent years.Therefore the quality as well as
the microbiological and sensory shelf life of selected chilled cooked meat
products and ready to eat foods packed using nitrogen and carbon dioxide (gas
packaging) were studied and compared with those of regularly packed products
(air or a vacuum).In addition, to obtain full benefit from gas packaging, the
effects of some basic factors, such as the optimal gas compositions, gas
permeability of packaging materials, head space volume and initial
microbiological quality, were studied.Furthermore, the quality of gas packed
ready to eat foods stored in both opened and leaking packages was
investigated.Gas packaging improved the sensory quality and shelf life of
several meat and ready to eat products.The best gas composition for cooked
meat products was a mixture of 20 % CO2 + 80 % N2, whereas for ready to eat
products the optimal gas composition was very dependent on the product.
However, gas packaging did not improve the shelf life of mayonnaise based
potato salad.Gas also had an obvious residual inhibitory effect on the quality
deterioration of minced meat steaks, but it lasted only some days.On the
other hand, the quality retention of minced meat steaks was even poorer in
leaking gas packages than in sealed air packages.Among the factors studied,
the length of the delay in packaging had the most significant effect on the
quality and shelf life of gas packed products.So called high barrier
materials, e.g. materials including EVAL or PVDC layers, did not lengthen the
shelf life of gas packed products.Instead, high barrier materials essentially
improved the shelf life of vacuum packed products.A gas volume in which a
product was not yet compressed was sufficient.This study also showed very
clearly that in shelf life studies involving new preservation techniques
applied to food products attention should be paid to the retention of sensory
quality in conjunction with microbiological parameters.Furthermore, the
appearance of unopened packages is important.
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor Degree |
Awarding Institution |
|
Award date | 19 Dec 1989 |
Place of Publication | Espoo |
Publisher | |
Print ISBNs | 951-38-3564-2 |
Publication status | Published - 1989 |
MoE publication type | G5 Doctoral dissertation (article) |
Keywords
- food packaging
- gas packaging
- nitrogen
- carbon dioxide
- meat products
- ready-to-eat foods
- shelf life
- microbiology
- sensory tests