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.

This highly practical, important new book summarizes concisely and authoritatively information on the shelf like evaluation of foods. The first part of the book covers basic principles, while the remaining chapters cover specific commodities and product groups.

The best-selling first edition of this contributed book established itself as a highly practical and authoritative source of information on shelf-life evaluation. Every food manufacturer is concerned about shelf life, as are the major retailers and ingredient suppliers. Increasing consumer interest in food safety, quality and date marking, competitive pressures from retailers and extensive legislative changes have combined to give this subject new significance. A proper evaluation of shelf life must be grounded on sound scientific prinicles, supported by up-to-date techniques. This book begins with six chapters reviewing the principles of shelf-life evaluation, followed by ten chapters on a number of selected food products such as chilled yogurt and other dairy desserts, seafood, and meat. The latest edition has been expanded to include new chapters on HACCP, preservation technology and shelf life, and minimally processed, ready-to-eat ambient-stable meat products. Sufficient information on the principles and practice of shelf life evaluation has been included for the beginner as well as for those who are more experienced in this area.

The stability and shelf-life of a food product are critical to its success in the market place, yet companies experience considerable difficulties in defining and understanding the factors that influence stability over a desired storage period. This book is the most comprehensive guide to understanding and controlling the factors that determine the shelf-life of food products.

Food Quality and Shelf Life covers all aspects and challenges of food preservation, packaging and shelf-life. It provides information on the most important pillars in the field, starting with active and smart packaging materials, novel technologies, and control tools in all stages between production and consumer. The book gives emphasis to methodological approaches for sensory shelf-life estimation and the impact of packaging on sensorial properties. Researchers and professionals alike will find this reference useful, especially those who are interested in the performance evaluation of future packaging for fresh produce in the cold chain and temperature management in the supply chain.

Ensuring that foods and beverages remain stable during the required shelf life is critical to their success in the market place, yet companies experience difficulties in this area. Food and beverage stability and shelf life provides a comprehensive guide to factors influencing stability, methods of stability and shelf life assessment and the stability and shelf life of major products.Part one describes important food and beverage quality deterioration processes, including microbiological spoilage and physical instability. Chapters in this section also investigate the effects of ingredients, processing and packaging on stability, among other factors. Part two describes methods for stability and shelf life assessment including food storage trials, accelerated testing and shelf life modelling. Part three reviews the stability and shelf life of a wide range of products, including beer, soft drinks, fruit, bread, oils, confectionery products, milk and seafood.With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Food and beverage stability and shelf life is a valuable reference for professionals involved in quality assurance and product development and researchers focussing on food and beverage stability. - A comprehensive guide to factors influencing stability, methods of stability and shelf life assessment and the stability and shelf life of major products - Describes important food and beverage quality deterioration processes exploring microbiological spoilage and physical instability - Investigate the effects of ingredients, processing and packaging on stability and documents methods for stability and shelf life assessment

Complying with food regulations and, more importantly, quality standards, requires practical and reliable methods to estimate a product's shelf life. Emphasizing the importance of the consumer's perception of when food has reached the end of its shelf life, Sensory Shelf Life Estimation of Food Products provides a tool for adequately predicting sen