Technologies to extend the mould-free shelf-life
of baked goods

Understand the basis of microbiological spoilage of baked goods and identify technologies available to extend their mould-free shelf-life

Extended shelf-life of products offers benefits to the consumer and the food industry. For the consumer, it can improve product availability, convenience and choice. For food companies it offers routes to reduced wastage, improved productivity and profitability (e.g. through larger but less frequent production runs), and wider geographical distribution of product. Shelf-life of bakery products is generally limited by three factors: microbiological spoilage, moisture loss and staling. This review focuses on the first of these and on specific technologies that can be used to extend end-product shelf-life.

After a general introduction on the nature and types of spoilage it reviews specific aspects of controlling microbial spoilage, such as:

• the role and effects of water activity, pH and 'chemical' preservatives
• the potential of harnessing the anti-microbial properties of essential oils
• the pros and cons of using modified atmosphere packaging systems
• options for using in-pack thermal treatment, ionising radiation, pulsed light and UV light and systems for predicting fungal growth

The conclusions section reflects that all the technologies have the potential to extend mould-free shelf-life but also emphasises that, as each technology has accompanying disadvantages, the final choice is likely to take account of technical, commercial and marketing constraints. The review also lists over 80 references to source material and further reading.