Studies on storage stability of corn based apple incorporated breakfast snacks

Abstract

Shelf life studies of food products are important, keeping in view the consumers awareness towards the quality and safety of food products. Experiments were conducted to assess the storage studies of corn based apple incorporated breakfast snacks extruded at pre-optimized conditions (10% apple powder, 15% moisture, 250 rpm screw speed and 1700C barrel temperature). The developed snacks were packed in high density polyethylene (HDPE) bags and kept under ambient conditions for the period of three months. The stored samples were evaluated for moisture content (MC), water activity(WA), free fatty acids (FFA), breaking strength(BS), total plate count(TPC) and sensory evaluation at regular intervals for three months. Gradual increase in moisture content and gradual decrease in breaking strength was observed during three months of storage. Storage had non-significant effects on FFA, AW, and TPC. In the present study it was observed that corn based apple incorporated snacks did not developed any potential health risk and can be stored up to three months when packed in HDPE bags.