ACCELERATED STABILITY TESTS OF MOISTURE‐SENSITIVE PRODUCTS IN PERMEABLE PACKAGES BY PROGRAMMING RATE OF MOISTURE CONTENT INCREASE

摘要

ABSTRACTA method for accelerated stability tests was developed, which is applicable to isothermal storage of moisture‐sensitive dehydrated products packaged in water‐vapor‐permeable containers. The method does not require prior knowledge of the kinetic model of the effect of moisture on rate of deterioration. The method can be applied to dehydrated products when the index of deterioration defined as ° ‐ (dc/cn) where c is reactant concentration, and n is the order of reaction is dependent only on moisture content, which changes continuously during storage. The accelerated tests are based on monitoring quality changes in the product, which undergoes rapid deterioration because of a high, albeit controlled, rate of moisture gain. Theoretical considerations based on kinetic theories indicate that the rate at which the index of deterioration changes at any given moisture content is inversely proportional to the rate of moisture gain. This fact provides a basis for the mathematical procedures of extrapolation and prediction of storage stability of the same product at the same temperature under any given rate of moisture gain. The method successfully predicted the loss of ascorbic acid in stored tomato powder and the extent of browning in dehydrated