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Assessment of oxygen levels in convenience‐style muscle‐based sous vide products through optical means and impact on shelf‐life stability
Author(s) -
O'Mahony Fiach C.,
O'Riordan Tomás C.,
Papkovskaia Natalia,
Ogurtsov Vladimir I.,
Kerry Joe P.,
Papkovsky Dmitri B.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.656
Subject(s) - shelf life , oxygen , food science , lipid oxidation , analyser , modified atmosphere , vacuum packing , chemistry , residual , active packaging , food packaging , process engineering , materials science , pulp and paper industry , computer science , chromatography , engineering , biochemistry , organic chemistry , antioxidant , algorithm
An optical oxygen analyser was used in two small‐scale industrial trials to non‐destructively assess the quality of packaged convenience foods and packaging process. Beef lasagne packed under 70% vacuum and cooked under standard sous vide conditions was monitored for residual oxygen, using disposable sensors incorporated in each pack and a benchtop optical oxygen analyser. High levels of residual oxygen close to ambient were determined in the majority of packs after packaging, as opposed to anticipated levels of 4–5%. Residual oxygen was monitored over product shelf‐life (4 weeks at +4–10°C) along with measurement of microbial growth and lipid oxidation in food by conventional destructive methods. Oxygen levels in packs went down to almost zero between weeks 2 and 3 indicating deterioration of packaged product. Correlation between oxygen profiles and the rate of microbial growth and lipid oxidation was established. The optical oxygen sensor system was shown to provide valuable information about performance of the packaging process, product storage conditions and food quality in a convenient and cost‐efficient fashion and non‐destructively. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.