Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Long-Term Storage On Quality Of Retail-Packaged Pinto Beans, C. M. Larson, A. R. Sloan, Lynn V. Ogden, Oscar A. Pike

Faculty Publications

There is interest in storing low-moisture foods for long periods of time for uses such as personal preparedness, disaster relief efforts and space travel. Pinto beans in restaurant-sized No. 10 cans are available in the retail market, but work is needed to determine the effects of long-term storage on quality. The objective of this research was to investigate the quality of retail-packaged pinto beans held at ambient temperatures up to 32 years. Fifteen samples of pinto beans packaged in No. 10 cans, which were treated to remove oxygen, were obtained from donors. Samples ranged from <1 to 32 years in age. Prior to cooking, pinto bean samples were soaked in water containing varying levels of baking soda to standardize textural attributes.