Contaminated Process Water and Accumulated Enthalpy in Semi‐product Caused Severe Deterioration of Ready‐to‐eat Flour Milo‐flakes

Abstract

Inappropriate cooling and heating treatments in food bioprocesses may cause immediate decay or a time‐dependent spoilage during storage. We encountered frequently the deterioration problems during the hot sale season of the product commercially branded “Maternal Milk Substitute,” a wheat flour milo‐flake product. The claimed products were always characterized with chocolate color, off‐odor, high peroxide values, increased total ferric ion content in both the claimed product and the process water. In addition, an unusual enthalpy increase in the stored semi‐product were observed. The synergistic effect of these parameters obviously would have exerted a very strong activating effect on the oxidative enzymes. In order to eliminate such an effect, we propose to recruit the treatment facilities of process water, and at the same time to install a built‐in cooling system to reinforce the cooling efficiency for the stored semi‐products. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Cereal products are very thermal labile. In rushing for manufacturing enthalpy sensitive goods such products, the enthalpy increase and duration of which persisting in the storage tank would be the main determinant factor for the outcome of oxidative spoilages. To avoid such oxidative problems, installation of a reinforced cooling system and recruitment of the process water treatment facilities would be simultaneously required in this regards.