Shelf Life Requirements Research Articles

Development of Ragi Dosa Premix

Abstract: Breakfast holds significant importance as it constitutes a vital component of daily nutrition. With the rising demand for nutritious and convenient food choices, there has been an emergence of premixes tailored for traditional recipes. This project specifically targets the creation of a Ragi Dosa Premix—a dry mix designed for effortless dosa preparation using ragi (finger millet), renowned for its nutritional richness and gluten-free properties. The objective of the premix is to offer a wholesome and convenient solution for health-conscious consumers. Enriched with fiber and protein, the premix is associated with positive effects on various aspects of health including appetite regulation, weight management, body composition, and overall well-being. Additionally, it aids in mitigating the risk of developing common conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, while also promoting lower blood pressure, improved weight control, and reduced instances of constipation. Combining the nutritional benefits of three different flours—ragi, urad dal, and rice—the product is further fortified with calcium and iron compounds. Sensory and microbial analyses were conducted to evaluate the product's attributes and safety. The proximate analysis revealed key nutritional parameters such as moisture content (8.8%), total fats (2.69g/100g), protein (14.19g/100g), carbohydrates (70.27g/100g), crude fiber (2.59g/100g), ash content (1.26), calcium (190.16mg/100g), and iron (3.02mg/100g). The microbial load was found to be within acceptable limits. Organoleptic assessment, encompassing attributes like color, flavor, texture, taste, and odor, indicated favorable reception by panelists, garnering a high rating score of 8. A packaging solution was chosen based on considerations of product properties and shelf-life requirements, with the product exhibiting a shelf life of 2 months from the manufacturing date. In conclusion, the developed product offers a nutrient-rich, fiber- and protein-packed breakfast alternative, catering to health-conscious consumers.

Preparation of Bajra Healthy Wafers

Abstract: Bajra, also known as pearl millet, is a versatile grain rich in essential nutrients and dietary fiber. The incorporation of bajra into snack production, particularly in the form of wafers, presents a promising avenue for creating healthier snack alternatives. Bajra-based wafers offer a blend of taste, crunchiness, and nutritional benefits, catering to the growing demand for wholesome snacks in today's health-conscious society. This abstract explores the development and nutritional aspects of bajrabased wafers, highlighting their potential as a nutritious snack option. The process involves carefully selecting high-quality bajra grains, milling them into flour, and blending them with complementary ingredients to create a crispy, flavorful snack. These wafers not only provide a delightful eating experience but also offer numerous health benefits due to bajra's inherent nutritional profile. The nutritional analysis reveals that bajra wafers are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein, and essential minerals such as iron and magnesium. Additionally, they are gluten-free, making them suitable for individuals with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. The inclusion of bajra in snack form contributes to a balanced diet, aiding in weight management and promoting digestive health. Sensory and microbial analyses were conducted to evaluate the product's attributes and safety. The proximate analysis revealed key nutritional parameters such as moisture content (68.8%), total fats (15.55g/200g), protein (9g/200g), carbohydrates (20.2g/200g), crude fiber (6g/200g), ash content (15.34), calcium (234.5mg/200g), and iron (9.425mg/200g). The microbial load was found to be within acceptable limits. Organoleptic assessment, encompassing attributes like color, flavor, texture, taste, and odor, indicated favorable reception by panelists, garnering a high rating score of 8. A packaging solution was chosen based on considerations of product properties and shelf-life requirements, with the product exhibiting a shelf life of 2 to 3 months from the manufacturing date. In conclusion, the developed product offers a nutrient-rich, fiber- and protein-packed snack alternative, catering to health-conscious consumers.

Whey protein fouling prediction in plate heat exchanger by combining dynamic modelling, dimensional analysis, and symbolic regression

Heat treatment of whey protein solution is a common industrial practice to texturise dairy derived products and meet shelf-life requirements. Thermal treatment is frequently interrupted for cleaning which consumes a large amount of water at different pH to remove deposits from the heating surface. Although it has been a research topic for decades, fouling growth models are still poorly predicted beyond the model training dataset. Here, parameters in a dynamic 2D plate heat exchanger (PHE) model were fitted to capture deposit mass when three variables are manipulated. These are whey protein concentration (0.25–2.5% w/w), calcium concentration (100 and 120 ppm) in the feed and PHE configuration, represented by the number of heating channels (5 and 10 channels). The PHE model consists of thermal, reaction, and fouling sub-models to account for the key events behind deposit formation. The PHE fouling model has a single parameter that needs re-estimation if the processed whey protein solution and process conditions are slightly changed. In the past, this case specific re-estimation has hindered the prediction capability of the model. In this regard, dimensional analysis of the PHE and symbolic regression were used to create a mathematical relationship for the fouling model adjustable parameter, enabling estimation of deposit mass for a wider range of whey derivatives and process conditions. The modelling approach was validated for three different scenarios representing different thermal profiles and whey powder. The proposed methodology increases the ability to predict fouling for different operating conditions and whey protein solutions.

The importance of vaccine stockpiling to respond to epidemics and remediate global supply shortages affecting immunization: strategic challenges and risks identified by manufacturers

While stockpiling vaccines adds another layer of complexity to vaccine manufacturing, it constitutes a crucial component of comprehensive disease preparedness and control strategies in public health management. Stockpiling provides the ability to immediately respond to epidemics, disease outbreaks, vaccine shortages or stock-outs at local, regional or global levels. Some stockpiles are static, not shipped until an emergency occurs; other stockpiles are rotating with vaccines used in on-going routine immunization programmes. Programmatic use indicates which vaccines to stockpile, the nature of the stockpile and the amount of vaccine to be held at any time. For immediate shipment, fully released product must be stockpiled with the challenge of monitoring remaining shelf-life requirements and the potential risk of expiry. Existing stockpiles are managed and financed globally under the purview of international organizations in the global immunization community, except for buffer stocks held by manufacturers for short periods. The added challenges to manufacturers of stockpiling vaccines, including storage, human resources and other related costs including vaccine destruction when no longer useable, needs to be recognized. This is all the more so with the likelihood of vaccine stockpiling becoming more prominent with changing disease patterns due to climate change and population movements, as well as the significant investment in the research and development of new epidemic prevention vaccines. While vaccine stockpiles managed and financed globally provide rapid response to country requests, more attention is needed in the future to ways that vaccine stockpiling can be brought under the direct purview of individual countries or regional groupings.

Main features and applications of organogels in cosmetics.

Cosmetic treatments aim at improving skin appearance through vehicles of good sensory properties. Those vehicles are mainly emulsions and gels designed to deliver safe and effective compounds to skin. Creams and serums are widely used to achieve these goals, but recently a new type of formulation known as organogels triggered scientific attention, particularly in the design of both topical and cosmetic formulations. It has been established that the lipophilic nature of organogels makes it an excellent candidate for the delivery of cosmetic molecules through skin. In this review, we discuss the properties and characteristics of organogels and present the advantages of the application of these systems in cosmetics.

Reprint of “Mitigating risks of perishable products in the cyber-physical systems based on the extended MRP model”

In the supply chain of fresh fruit and vegetables, large losses may incurred throughout the whole farm to fork route. Food supply chain management is faced with challenges of minimizing the post-harvest loss, while delivering the items directly to the refrigerators in smart homes (i.e. domotics). A substantial value can therefore be added to the criterion function by an immediate, real-time detection of changes in perishability dynamics, including a real-time calculation and communication of the remaining shelf life during transportation from one chain node to another. The changes in the estimated remaining shelf life can, therefore, be matched with the expected remaining transportation time, and so the critical moment can be avoided with a given probability. This can be done by dynamic rerouting in real time, based on previous net present value (NPV) criteria. Such criteria could then we include in the contractually stipulated remaining shelf life requirements at the delivery point.This paper focuses on a novel concept of moving activity cells which represent the moving cargo between the fixed activity cells in the extended material requirements planning (EMRP) model. The changes in NPV are calculated dynamically from the expected shelf life changes. Such real-time calculations and early reports are enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, where there is a smart device that tracks ambient conditions like temperature, humidity, and gas concentrations. These early estimations allow a better decision making based on first-expired-first-out (FEFO) cold chain management strategies for perishable products. Therefore, the model includes the possibility to deliver the items to the local market if the expected contractually stipulated shelf-life losses become too high. The paper does not intend to discuss the details of IoT or analyse different sensors, but it wishes to show how the EMRP theory can be used to estimate the changes in NPV when moving activity cells are included in the model. The smart measurement devices embedded in moving activity cells of cyber-physical system measure the ambient data and broadcast decay acceleration factors and postharvest loss of cargo to the decision support system. The numerical example shows how smart measurement devices embedded in moving activity cells of cyber-physical system help to reduce the post-harvest loss in a supply chain by rerouting when necessary. The paper additionally shows how much such a cyber-physical system improves NPV by the development of decision-making processes in the real-time, using the IoT as infrastructure, including automatic rerouting in postharvest logistics.

Mitigating risks of perishable products in the cyber-physical systems based on the extended MRP model

In the supply chain of fresh fruit and vegetables, large losses may incurred throughout the whole farm to fork route. Food supply chain management is faced with challenges of minimizing the post-harvest loss, while delivering the items directly to the refrigerators in smart homes (i.e. domotics). A substantial value can therefore be added to the criterion function by an immediate, real-time detection of changes in perishability dynamics, including a real-time calculation and communication of the remaining shelf life during transportation from one chain node to another. The changes in the estimated remaining shelf life can, therefore, be matched with the expected remaining transportation time, and so the critical moment can be avoided with a given probability. This can be done by dynamic rerouting in real time, based on previous net present value (NPV) criteria. Such criteria could then we include in the contractually stipulated remaining shelf life requirements at the delivery point.This paper focuses on a novel concept of moving activity cells which represent the moving cargo between the fixed activity cells in the extended material requirements planning (EMRP) model. The changes in NPV are calculated dynamically from the expected shelf life changes. Such real-time calculations and early reports are enabled by the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure, where there is a smart device that tracks ambient conditions like temperature, humidity, and gas concentrations. These early estimations allow a better decision making based on first-expired-first-out (FEFO) cold chain management strategies for perishable products. Therefore, the model includes the possibility to deliver the items to the local market if the expected contractually stipulated shelf-life losses become too high. The paper does not intend to discuss the details of IoT or analyse different sensors, but it wishes to show how the EMRP theory can be used to estimate the changes in NPV when moving activity cells are included in the model. The smart measurement devices embedded in moving activity cells of cyber-physical system measure the ambient data and broadcast decay acceleration factors and postharvest loss of cargo to the decision support system. The numerical example shows how smart measurement devices embedded in moving activity cells of cyber-physical system help to reduce the post-harvest loss in a supply chain by rerouting when necessary. The paper additionally shows how much such a cyber-physical system improves NPV by the development of decision-making processes in the real-time, using the IoT as infrastructure, including automatic rerouting in postharvest logistics.

Re-evaluation of data and requirements on condom shelf life

Condom quality is, in many countries, regulated through ISO (international standard) 4074 which prescribes a maximum shelf life of 5 years, and also a real time stability requirement to ensure the products are fit for use until the expiry date. The United Nations and other major public sector purchasers prescribe square packs made with aluminium foil. This article examines the history of, and available data on, the shelf life of condoms, and on how individual packs may affect that. It reviews data in the open literature, and that used in the development of the requirements in ISO 4074, and includes relevant data on the physical properties of condoms as a function of storage time. The change in properties is examined in the light of the 5 year shelf life limit, and the package materials and shape. The results indicate opportunities to relax the packaging and shelf life requirements on some of the products.

Multistage Production Planning in the Dairy Industry: A Mixed-Integer Programming Approach

This paper addresses a production planning problem in a multistage production system consisting of continuous processing resources separated by finite-capacity storage tanks, stimulated by a particular case study in the dairy industry. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model that incorporates several distinguishing characteristics of dairy production, such as multistage bulk production, shelf-life requirements, intermediate storage, setups, resource speeds, limitations on minimum and maximum lot sizes, and the conservation of flow among various tanks. The objective is to maximize the total profit while determining the quantity of intermediate products and SKUs processed on various resources, the assignment of products to various resources and intermediate storage tanks, the quantity of each SKU sold, lost sales of each SKU, and waiting times. The determinations often reveal production bottlenecks. The efficiency of the proposed model is illustrated through its applicat...

Exploring Produce Industry Attitudes: Relationships between Postharvest Handling, Fruit Flavor, and Consumer Purchasing

As part of a larger project to show how fresh fruits and vegetables with enhanced flavor can be successfully handled to improve consumer satisfaction without compromising food safety, key informant interviews were conducted with fruit industry leaders dealing with melons (Cucumis melo and Citrullus lanatus), peaches and nectarines (Prunus persica), pears (Pyrus communis), tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), strawberries (Fragaria ×ananassa), and blueberries (Vaccinium sp.). The interview was designed to collect information on industry attitudes and practices related to postharvest handling of more mature fruit, harvest timing, preconditioning, cold chain management, and shipping and handling procedures throughout the supply chain. The current analysis focuses on two key questions from the interviews: 1) To what extent do industry experts believe that better fruit handling and shipping procedures contribute to better taste quality in fruit? 2) To what extent do industry experts believe that better fruit quality will lead to more consumer purchasing? In response to the first question, the majority of respondents (70%) agreed that postharvest handling affects fruit flavor with the most cited themes related to agreement being gentle handling, cold chain management, and harvest timing. Of the respondents who expressed disagreement most acknowledged the importance of postharvest handling, but felt other factors were also important, mainly the variety grown, the shelf life requirements, and the growing conditions. For the second question, 95% of respondents agreed that increased taste quality of fruit would mean increased purchasing and consumption. The primary theme related to agreement was that consumers would repeat purchase after positive eating experiences. Other important factors were the price point of fruit, retail display, product identity, and fruit appearance. With increasing consumer attention to fruit quality and a generally accepted belief among industry representatives that fruit flavor and quality drives consumer demand, there is an opportunity to shift industry practices toward postharvest handing that is conducive to consistently delivering better-tasting fruit to consumers.

Integrated production scheduling and distribution planning in dairy supply chain by hybrid modelling

In this paper we address the production scheduling and distribution planning problem in a yoghurt production line of the multi-product dairy plants. A mixed integer linear programming model is developed for the considered problem. The objective function aims to maximize the benefit by considering the shelf life dependent pricing component and costs such as processing, setup, storage, overtime, backlogging, and transportation costs. Key features of the model include sequence dependent setup times, minimum and maximum lot sizes, overtime, shelf life requirements, machine speeds, dedicated production lines, typically arising in the dairy industry. The model obtains the optimal production plan for each product type, on each production line, in each period together with the delivery plan.

The evolution of Citrus technology in Italy in the last decades

The author refers to the most important changes in processing in the Italian Citrus industry. This article reports on the technological improvements occurring both in oil and juice extraction, in order to obtain better and safer quality. The brief description also refers to the recent legal aspects concerning citrus products, from food laws and safety to environmental protection and the consumer exposure scenario. To end, a special mention is given to the most updated needs of the market for new products, taking into account the strict quality and shelf-life requirements.

Performance Specification of Time‐temperature Integrators Designed to Protect Against Botulism in Refrigerated Fresh Foods

ABSTRACT: Time‐temperature integrators (TTIs) may provide a means to monitor safety of fresh foods packaged in reduced‐oxygen environments. Commercially, TTI's have not been fully realized, possibly due to confusion over selection, performance, and reliability. The purpose of this work was to develop a framework for establishing performance targets for TTI's with foods that have potential to cause foodborne botulism. An Arrhenius‐type curve was developed that offers safety margins that satisfy regulatory and shelf life requirements. TTI's developed as specified should minimize “false unsafe” readings that lead to destruction of safe product. The approach could be used to establishing guidelines for application of TTI's to food safety verification.

Shelf Life Evaluation of Bartlett Pears in Retort Pouches

ABSTRACTRetort pouch pears in syrup were developed for a military ration. Processing variables were: syrup pH (4.0 and 3.5) and processing temperature (88°C and 96°C). Periodic sensory and biochemical/instrumental analyses were conducted during storage at 4, 21 and 38°C. pH had the most effect on quality measures. Bivariate correlations from Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis indicated high positive relationships between the first PLS factor and sensory and analytical determinations: color quality, overall quality, pear flavor intensity, Hunter L, ascorbic acid and sucrose. Pears at pH 4.0, processed at either temperature, met minimum military shelf life requirements at 21° or 38°C.

Shelf Life Evaluation of Cling Peaches in Retort Pouches

ABSTRACTRetort pouch sliced peaches in syrup were developed to replace freeze‐dried peaches in a military field ration. Two processing variables were investigated: fruit source (fresh and frozen) and syrup pH (3.85 and 3.25). Peaches were stored at 4°, 21° and 38° C and evaluated periodically by sensory panels and biochemical and instrumental analyses. pH had most effect on sensory color, texture and acceptability and instrumental color and sugar composition. High positive correlations existed between a factor (consisting of five sensory quality attributes) and sensory color and texture, Hunter L and a values and sucrose level. Frozen and fresh source peaches at pH 3.85 met shelflife requirements at 21 and 38°.