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Life Sciences Commons

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2007

Faculty Publications

Food storage

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Quality Of Hermetically Packaged Split Peas During Long-Term Storage, J. S. Chapman, Laura K. Jefferies, Oscar A. Pike Jul 2007

Quality Of Hermetically Packaged Split Peas During Long-Term Storage, J. S. Chapman, Laura K. Jefferies, Oscar A. Pike

Faculty Publications

There is a market for low moisture foods that can be stored for long periods of time for use in disaster relief and other emergency situations. Split peas hermetically sealed in cans with a reduced oxygen atmosphere are available in the retail market, but the effect of long-term storage on the quality of the product is unknown. Ten samples of split peas representing 5 retail brands packaged in size No.10 cans and stored at room temperature were obtained from donors. Two fresh samples of split peas were purchased as controls. Samples ranged in age from <1 to 34 years. Can headspace oxygen, can seam integrity, and split pea water activity and color were evaluated. A 52-member consumer panel evaluated the samples, prepared as split pea soup, for appearance, aroma, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale. Acceptance for use in everyday and emergency situations was also determined. Can headspace oxygen ranged from 0.19 to 20.1%. All can seams were determined to be satisfactory. Water activity of the raw split peas ranged from 0.41 to 0.56. The green color of raw split peas decreased over time as shown by increasing CIE a* values. Flavor, appearance, texture, and overall acceptability hedonic scores ranged from 6.7 to 4.4 and decreased over time. Hedonic scores for appearance were correlated with the decrease in raw product green color (r2 = .928). Hedonic scores for texture declined over time, corresponding with increasing hardness of the peas. All samples had an acceptance in an emergency situation of over 75%. Results indicate split pea quality declines over time, but the product maintains sufficient sensory acceptance to be considered for use in applications requiring long-term storage.


Quality Of Hermetically Packaged Dehydrated Carrots During Long-Term Storage, S. R. Bartholomew, Laura K. Jefferies, Oscar A. Pike Jul 2007

Quality Of Hermetically Packaged Dehydrated Carrots During Long-Term Storage, S. R. Bartholomew, Laura K. Jefferies, Oscar A. Pike

Faculty Publications

There is interest in the long-term storage of food for applications such as space flight, disaster relief, and personal preparedness. Dehydrated carrots packaged in hermetically sealed cans with a reduced oxygen atmosphere are available in the retail market. The quality of dehydrated carrots stored up to two years has been reported, but the effect of longer-term storage on the quality of the product is unknown. Eleven samples of dehydrated carrots representing 6 brands, packaged in size No.10 cans and stored at room temperature, were obtained from donors. Two fresh samples were purchased as controls. Samples ranged in age from < 1 to 34 years. Can headspace oxygen, can seam integrity, and dehydrated carrot water activity and color were evaluated. Samples were rehydrated for 20 minutes in filtered water that was brought to a boil. A 56-member consumer panel evaluated the rehydrated carrots for appearance, aroma, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale. Acceptance for use in everyday and emergency situations was also determined. Can headspace oxygen ranged from < 0.01% to 14.7%. All can seams were determined to be satisfactory. Water activity of the dehydrated carrots ranged from 0.31 to 0.38. L*, a* and b* values ranged from 37.8 to 44.0, 17.1 to 30.2 and 23.0 to 37.3, respectively. The orange color of most samples faded during storage. Hedonic scores for overall acceptability of dehydrated carrots declined from 7.1 to 3.4. All samples had an acceptance for use in an emergency situation of over 70%. Results indicate that dehydrated carrots decline in quality during long-term storage but retain sufficient sensory acceptance to be considered for use in long-term storage regimens.