1, You are in charge of estimating the shelf-life of potato chips packaged in la
ID: 83869 • Letter: 1
Question
1, You are in charge of estimating the shelf-life of potato chips packaged in laminated plastic packaging bag. Describe your entire approach of evaluating the shelf-life. Things to consider: modes of failure? What affects the mode of failure? What would be the threshold? How will you evaluate? How will you model?
2, A small company is interested in making ‘red-pepper spread’ for pita. The basic recipe hasroasted red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions that are mixed in proportions for best taste.Although this product is typically heat sterilized, the company wants to sells this as a minimallyprocessed product. While the sterilized product has a shelf life of more than 6 months, thiscompany wants to keep the shelf life at 2-4 weeks. However, with their current recipe theyobserve microbial spoilage in 8-10 days. The company is open to adding more ingredients butinsists on all natural ingredients. The company is also open to processing but just not thermalprocessing to preserve the taste. Describe what would be your approach to extend the shelf life,write justification for ingredients and or processing technology?
Explanation / Answer
Answer 1):
Potato Chips are actually fried (or sometimes baked) slices of potato. The shelf life of potato chips depends on a variety of factors, such as the best before date and how the potato chips are stored. Because of their relatively low cost, ease of use, high calorie density and crunchy salty addiction potato chips are one of the most popular snacks around. The self life of potato chips is approx 2-4 weeks.
Of course, potato chips last for a shorter period of time if they are not stored properly. But remember that potato chips, like a lot of other snacks, usually have a sell by date and not a use by date. Because of this distinction, you may safely use potato chips even after the best before date has lapsed. About 2-3 weeks after the sell by date has passed, an unopened bag of chips will begin to taste stale and/or loose their crunch.
Mode of failure would be related to the storage of the food.
Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) model has been applied for the risk assessment of potato chips manufacturing. A tentative approach of FMEA application to the snacks industry was attempted in order to analyse the critical control points (CCPs) in the processing of potato chips. Preliminary hazard analysis was used to analyse and predict the occurring failure modes in a food chain system (potato processing and potato chips processing plant), based on the functions, characteristics and/or interactions of the ingredients or the processes, upon which the system depends. CCPs have been identified and implemented in the cause and effect diagram (also known as Ishikawa, tree diagram and fishbone diagram). Finally, Pareto diagrams were
employed towards the optimisation potential of FMEA.
Potato chips mostly fail under britle fracture
To main quality:
1) Poptato plants should be harvested at the appropriate stage.
2) Proper fertilizer should be used
3) Before harvesting make sure the seeds are as per the specifications and quality.
4) After harvesting, Following potato receipt, quality control is carried out
checking the colour (green), size, external abnormalities,diseases and bruises.
5) Packaging materials used should be appropriate for coming into contact with potatoes. Personnel should be very cautious to avoid bruises on the potato skin so that they reach the consumer at the very best condition.
The Weibull modulus of potato crisps is about 4, comparable with ceramic materials, with a characteristic strength of about 1.5 MPa. This combination of brittleness and weakness gives crispness. The critical stress intensity factor (KIC) and the energy of fracture (R) are around 0.12 MPa and 45 J m–2, respectively. There was no significant difference between the material values obtained for the fracture properties of crisps of a range of subjective ‘crispness’ as measured by a trained organoleptic panel. Crispness is ranked by the structural bending strength. Centrally loaded plate tests give qualitative evaluation of crispness. Both these tests could be used in quality control, with advantage over organoleptic tests such as cost, the time required, objectivity, consistency of results, the relation of the measured fracture properties of potato crisps.
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