• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2017

Purpose: The storage life of pearl millet-based, deep fried, ready-to-eat snacks, packaged in aluminum-laminated polyethylene having a thickness of $50{\mu}m$ (with and without nitrogen) was evaluated under storage conditions of $38{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ and 90% RH. Methods: The moisture content, free fatty acids (FFA), peroxide value, and crispness of the snack were evaluated throughout the storage period. The moisture content, FFA, and peroxide value increased with an increase in storage period, but the increase was less in packages flushed with nitrogen gas. The crispness decreased with an increase in the storage period, for snacks both with and without nitrogen packages. However, the decrease was less in nitrogen-flushed packages. FFA and peroxide values were strongly correlated with the moisture content of the snack. The storage life of the snack was found to be 60 and 45 days in packages with and without nitrogen respectively. Conclusions: The snack's predicted storage life, for snacks with and without nitrogen packages, was determined as 294 and 254 days respectively.