100B-6 |
Modified atmosphere packaging of Korean fermented red pepper paste |
C. H. LEE1, Y. I. Hwang, S. Y. Choi3, and D. S. Lee. (1) Division of Life Sciences, Kyungnam University, 449 Wolyoung-dong, Masan, 631-701, South Korea, (2) Korea Food Research Institute, San 46-1 Baekhyun-dong, Songnam, 463-420, South Korea Korean fermented red pepper paste is a hot spicy seasoning sauce made from cereal porridge mix, red pepper powder, salt and fermented soybean starter. Because the paste is usually packaged without pasteurization and any preservative for their healthy characteristics as a traditional fermented food, some microbial activities still continue to cause volume expansion and microbial flora shift. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of the paste has a potential to suppress the microbial flora change, reduce the volume expansion and preserve the product quality. This study therefore aims to examine the effectiveness of MAP on package volume and quality changes of the red pepper paste. Korean fermented red pepper paste was packaged under modified atmospheres (MA) of 30% CO2/70% N2 and 100% CO2. A plain air package was also prepared as a control for comparison. The MA conditions were first applied with a high gas barrier film and subsequently with a gas permeable film. Throughout the storage period at 13oC, package volume, headspace gas composition, microbial flora, surface color, pH and acidity were measured. An MA of 100% CO2 could suppress the growth of aerobic bacteria and yeasts to reduce the CO2 production from the paste, and thus could alleviate the volume expansion of flexible packages stored at 13oC. However, the reduced volume expansion of high barrier film was not sufficient for prolonged storage. An MAP of 100% CO2 using plastic film of appropriate gas permeability could be stored at 13oC for 150 days without volume expansion or any adverse quality changes, and was also tolerable to temperature abuse conditions at 25oC. MAP under 100% CO2 with high permeable film of adequate surface area was shown to be a good packaging choice for the non-pasteurized paste products in terms of package volume and product quality changes.
Session 100B, Food Packaging
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