Effectiveness of modified atmosphere packaging in preserving a prepared ready‐to‐eat food

The effectiveness of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was evaluated for a combination prepared food (Korean braised green peppers with dry anchovies). From a preliminary storage test of the ready‐to‐eat dish at 10°C, the aerobic bacterial count on the green peppers was selected as a primary quality index. The effect of MAP with different CO 2 concentrations on the product quality at 10°C was also studied. MAP with a CO 2 concentration of ≥30% extended the lag time and/or reduced the growth rate of bacteria. Finally, the effect of different storage temperatures (5, 10, 15 or 20°C) on the shelf life of the product was investigated. Mathematical modelling of bacterial growth curves under stretch‐wrap air packaging and MAP with 60% CO 2 /40% N 2 showed that MAP increased the hypothetical minimum temperature in the square root model that describes the temperature dependence of the lag time and growth rate. MAP conditions of 60% CO 2 /40% N 2 extended the shelf life at 10°C by 130% (to 18.4 days) relative to that achieved with stretch‐wrap air packaging (7.9 days) based on the time taken to reach the quality limit of an aerobic bacterial count of 10 5  CFU/g. The relative extension of shelf life achieved with MAP was greater at lower temperatures. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.