Understanding and Measuring the Shelf Life of Food is an essential new book for the food processing industry.

Part 1 examines the factors affecting shelf-life and spoilage, including individual chapters on the major types of food spoilage, the role of moisture and temperature, spoilage yeasts, the Maillard reaction and the factors underlying lipid oxidation.

Part 2 addresses the best ways of measuring the shelf-life of foods, with chapters on modelling food spoilage, measuring and modelling glass transition, detecting spoilage yeasts and measuring lipid oxidation.

Contents

Part I: FACTORS AFFECTING SHELF LIFE AND SPOILAGE

The major types of food spoilage

• Physical instability
• Chemical spoilage (degradation)
• Microbial spoilage

Shelf-life and moisture management

• Moisture activity and shelf life
• Water activity and moisture management
• The effects of moisture on the storage stability of food
• How mioisture management systems work: the case of meat jerky
• Application of moisture management systems to food and other products

Temperature and food stability: analysis and control

• Temperature and the shelf life of food
• Quantifying the effect of temperature on food
• Shelf life testing and indices
• Shelf life prediction and management: time-temperature relationships

Genetic and physiological factors affecting color and firmness

• Physiology of firmness: fruits and vegetables
• Methods of improving and maintaining firmness
• Physiology of color: fruits and vegetables
• Methods of improving and maintaining color

Spoilage yeasts

• Characteristics and classification of yeasts
• Factors affecting the growth and survival of spoilage yeasts
• Diversity and frequency of food spoilage yeasts
• Future trends: alternative technologies

Factors affecting the Maillard reaction

• The Maillard reaction (MR)
• Factors affecting the Maillard reaction
• The Maillard reaction and spoilage: flavor deterioration
• The Maillard reaction and spoilage: nutritional losses and browning
• Improving shelf life: antioxidative Maillard reactions
• Improving shelf life: the Maillard resction and microbial spoilage

Factors affecting lipid oxidation

Mechanisms and autoxidation
• Factors influencing the rate of lipid oxidation
• Methods of measuring oxidation in an oil or food
• Monitoring changes in oxidation and the use of predictive methods

Lipolysis in lipid oxidation

• Lipolytic enzymes, lipids and food spoilage
• Lipolysis in particular foods: dairy, meat and fish products
• Lipolysis in particular foods: cereals and vegetables
• Controlling lipolysis to improve shelf life

Part II: MEASURING SHELF LIFE AND SPOILAGE

Ways of measuring shelf life and spoilage

• Understanding and estimating the shelf life of food
• Key factors influencing the shelf life of food
• Quality indices for testing the shelf life of food

Verification and validation of food spoilage models

• The modeling process
• Validation and verification: definitions and use
• Evaluation techniques and data transformation
• Limitations of models

Measuring and modeling the glass transition temperature

• Measuring the glass transition temperature
• Modeling the glass transition temperature

Detecting spoilage yeasts

• Food spoilage yeasts
• Detection and enumeration: viable and direct count techniques
• Detection and enumeration: instrumental techniques
• Methods of identifying and characterizing foodborne yeasts
• The use of microbiological indicators to monitor food quality and spoilage

Measuring lipid oxidation

• Lipid oxidation
• Chemical methods of measuring lipid oxidation
• Physical methods of measuring lipid oxidation
• Chromatographic methods of measuring lipid oxidation
• Measurement issues
• Correlating analytical measurements with sensory evaluation
• Measurement techniques and shelf life improvement

Accelerated shelf life tests

• Basic principles
• Initial rate approach
• Kinetic model approach
• Problems in accelerated shelf life tests

Shelf life testing

• Assuring food safety: the HACCP system
• Detemining the shelf life of food
• Predicting the shelf life of food

Lipid oxidation and the shelf life of muscle foods

• Lipid oxidation in vivo
• Antioxidant defense systems
• Lipid oxidation in muscle and muscle foods
• Factors influencing lipid stability in meat and meat products
• Cholesterol oxidation
• Lipid oxidation and meat flavor, color and drip loss
• Meat packaging and shelf life quality

Index

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