Shelf Life Evaluation of Foods

Book excerpt: The subject of shelf life of foods is not a new one. Increasing consumer interest in food safety, quality and date marking, competitjve pressures from retailers and extensive legislative changes, however, have combined to give the subject a new significance. The proper and correct determina tion of shelf life is of course fundamental to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) for the food and drink industry. Manufacturers who aim to produce safe, wholesome and attractive food products 'right the first time' and 'right every time' will already know the importance of proper shelf life evaluation. Incorrect shelf lives can potentially bring about dire legal, safety or financial consequences. This is not to belittle the difficulty of failing to meet consumer expectations consistently as a result of shelf lives that have been arrived at unreliably. A proper evaluation of shelf life must be grounded on sound scientific principles, supported by up-to-date techniques in food science and tech nology. This book, therefore, begins with five chapters reviewing the prin ciples of shelf life evaluation. These are followed by ten chapters on a number of selected food products. All the authors either have first hand experience on the practice of shelf life evaluation or are involved in research of the subject. Because of the diversity and complexity of food products now available, no attempt has been made to cover every product group, let alone every product conceivable.