Effect of storage conditions on sensory and microbial characteristics of developed pearl millet based weaning food

Abstract

The present study was carried out to determine the shelf life and storage stability of developed pearl millet based weaning food. The Developed processed pearl millet based weaning food with optimized levels of vitamin A acetate and iron salt was packaged under vacuum and ordinary packaging (without vacuum) in aluminum foil laminates of 100µm thickness and stored at 25 ± 2⁰C in an incubator for six months and the samples were withdrawn at predetermined intervals of one month and subjected to sensory (9 point hedonic scale), moisture and microbiological analysis to determine the shelf life of the product. The developed product showed non-significant difference in sensory acceptability up to 6 months when stored under vacuum, whereas sensory acceptability was limited to 4 months when stored without vacuum. It may be attributed to the adsorption of moisture from the air present within the ordinary packaging. The SPC counts were also higher (3.75 log cfu/g) in weaning food with ordinary packaging in comparison to vacuum packaging (2.88 log cfu/g) after six months of storage but within safe limits as per legal standards for cereal based weaning foods.