国际冷冻食品保质期测试的程序和方法（英文版）.pdf

Shelf Life Testing: Procedures and Prediction Methods for Frozen Foods Bin Fu Kelloggs Battle Creek MI Theodore P. Labuza Dept. of Food Science Nutrition, University of Minnesota 1334 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108 2 19.1 Introduction The shelf life of a food can be defined as the time period within which the food is safe to consume and/or has an acceptable quality to consumers. Just like any other food, frozen foods deteriorate during storage by different modes or mechanisms, as summarized in Table 1. Microbes usually are not a problem since they cannot grow at freezing temperatures unless subjected to extensive temperature abuse above the freezing point. Enzymes are a big concern for frozen foods, which can cause flavor change (lipoxygenase) in non-blanched fruits and vegetables and accelerated deterioration reactions in meat and poultry (enzymes released from disrupted membranes during precooking). Cell damage or protein and starch interactions during freezing cause drip and mushiness upon thawing. Discoloration could occur by non- enzymatic browning, bleaching, and freezer burn. Vitamin C loss is often a major concern for frozen vegetables. Physical changes, such as package ice formation, moisture loss, emulsion destabilization, recrystallization of sugars and ice of frozen desserts are often accelerated by fluctuating temperatures. For any specific frozen product, which mode determines its shelf life, depends on the product characteristics (raw materials, ingredients, formulation), pre-freezing treatment, freezing process, packaging film and processes, and of course storage conditions. All of the quality deterioration and potential hazards are usually exaggerated or