Sensory Shelf Life Estimation of Novel Fortified Blended Foods Under Accelerated and Real‐Time Storage Conditions

Abstract

Fortified blended foods (FBFs), a staple of food aid around the world, must maintain desirable characteristics for long periods of storage. This study estimated the shelf life of FBFs, including a traditional FBF (nonextruded corn soy blend plus [CSB+]) and 13 novel extrusion cooked FBFs. All products were stored under accelerated and real‐time environments (real time = 30 °C and 65% relative humidity [RH], accelerated = 50 °C and 70% RH based on a Q10 factor of 2). Products were made into porridges and evaluated by a descriptive sensory panel for five times in each shelf life condition. Rancid and painty sensory characteristics were key determining factors for shelf life. Real‐time (RT) and accelerated shelf life (ASL) testing agreed that most novel extrusion cooked FBFs had shelf lives of at least 2 years, which is comparable to current CSB+. However, ASL testing failed to predict RT shelf life of two novel FBFs, which were estimated by RT testing to have a 2+ year shelf life. The results indicated that novel extrusion cooked FBFs have high potential for use as alternative complementary food and maintain quality for long storage periods. It is essential to conduct RT testing parallel with ASLT testing, especially for new products, to obtain a more precise estimation of products’ shelf life. Practical Application These findings show that extrusion cooked novel fortified blended foods made with extrusion generally can last up to or exceeding 24 months at ambient conditions as measured either real‐time or under accelerated conditions. This is plenty of time for storage, shipping, distribution, and home storage of such products by recipients. Thus, there should be no concerns about shelf life of these products for international distribution.

Determination of the Sensory Characteristics of Traditional and Novel Fortified Blended Foods Used in Supplementary Feeding Programs

“…As previously mentioned, the extruded products containing higher amount of lipids were more bitter ( p ≤ 0.05) because of the high possibility of having more degraded lipids. However, it must be noted that the lipids certainly were not degraded enough to produce marked changes in shelf-life [17]. Phenolic compounds, which can be found in sorghum, are responsible for the bitterness of many similar foods and may cause a negative effect on products’ acceptability [35,37].…”

“…Recent work has shown that various types of extruded FBFs made with sorghum or corn and cowpea or soy are at least as preferred as CSB+ by children in Tanzania [16]. In addition, data has shown that the shelf-life of such products is generally 24 months or greater [17], far exceeding the required shelf-life for such products.…”

Effects of Shiitake (Lentinus edodes P.) Mushroom Powder and Sodium Tripolyphosphate on Texture and Flavor of Pork Patties

“…Such numbers of highly trained panelists have been shown to be able to discriminate among samples better than larger panels of less trained panelists [40][41][42]. Similar panels have been used for other recent studies [43][44][45].…”

Development of a Model System for Tasting Grain Varieties

“…Such numbers of highly trained panelists have been shown to be able to discriminate among samples better than larger panels of less trained panelists [39][40][41]. Similar panels have been used for other recent studies [42][43][44].…”