Modified atmosphere packaging of pita (pocket) bread |
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Authors: | Yael Avital Chaim H Mannheim |
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Affiliation: | Department of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa Israel |
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Abstract: | Pita bread has a shelf-life of only a few hours, mainly due to its large surface to volume ratio. Hardening, caused by staling and drying, is the main factor affecting shelf-life. Extension of shelf-life by packaging pita in a high barrier laminate under modified atmosphere (MAP) of 99% CO2 or 73% CO2 with 27% N2 was studied. A shelf-life of 14 days, as determined by microbial spoilage, was obtained for MAP pita bread. Staling, as determined by means of a penetrometer, was delayed in MAP pita. Organoleptic hedonic comparisons of MAP pita, against frozen defrosted pita from the same batch, gave almost identical results. Shelf-life was terminated by the appearance of microorganisms on bread. |
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Keywords: | Pita bread baladi shelf-life MAP |
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