Characterization of the sensory, physical, chemical, and microbial quality of microwave-assisted, thermally pasteurized fried rice during storage
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| Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | artículo original |
| Publication Date: | 2020 |
| Description: | Companies producing ready-to-eat (RTE) meals are looking for processing alternatives that allow them to gain presence in the supermarket chill section. Microwave-assisted pasteurization systems (MAPS) offer the potential to produce safe, high-quality foods. This research examined sensory, physical, chemical, and microbial changes in fried rice processed with MAPS and stored at 7 °C over a 6-week storage period. Additional fried rice samples (cooked but not MAPS-processed) were stored at –31 °C and were used as the control. Randomly selected trays of each type of rice were analyzed at 1, 4, and 6 weeks of storage. Aroma, appearance, taste/flavor, texture, mouthfeel, and aftertaste were evaluated by a semitrained sensory panel with rate-all-that-apply questions. The type of rice treatment (MAPS or control) significantly influenced sensory attributes (P < 0.05), with firm texture attribute of the egg being more intense in the MAPS-rice compared to the control. In addition, storage time affected the sensory modalities of both rice samples, including aroma, appearance, and taste/flavor (P < 0.05). No spoilage-associated sensory attributes were detected in the MAPS-rice during storage. At each examination point, various physical, chemical, and microbial analyses were conducted for the MAPS- and control rice. From the physical and chemical perspective, the MAPS-rice did not present relevant changes over the period tested. Microbial growth was the main cause of spoilage of the MAPS-rice; however, MAPS was able to extend the regular 5-day shelf life of a chilled fried rice meal to 6 weeks, demonstrating the potential of this technology for the RTE industry. |
| Country: | Kérwá |
| Institution: | Universidad de Costa Rica |
| Repositorio: | Kérwá |
| Language: | Inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:kerwa.ucr.ac.cr:10669/102527 |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10669/102527 https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15384 |
| Keyword: | fried rice microwave processing shelf life ready meals ready-to-eat meals RTE meals food processing sensory evaluation microwave-assisted pasteurization systems pasteurization treatment |