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Estimating shelf life by storing product under elevated stress, usually temperature, and extrapolating using a kinetic model such as Q10 or Arrhenius.
Lets a food company put a “best before” date on a new snack or sauce within weeks of developing it, instead of waiting out the full real-time shelf life.
See also: Q10, Shelf life, Glass transition temperature
Fatty acids released from triglycerides by hydrolysis, reported as a percentage or as acid value.
Tested in cooking oil to judge how much it has broken down from repeated frying, since high levels mean rancid, lower-quality oil.
See also: Rancidity, Peroxide value
An affective sensory scale measuring degree of liking, most commonly the 9-point scale from dislike extremely to like extremely.
What a “rate this product 1 to 9” taste-test survey uses when a company decides whether a new flavour is ready to launch.
See also: Sensory evaluation, Triangle test
Grams of iodine absorbed by 100 g of fat, measuring total unsaturation.
Tells a cooking-oil buyer or blender how likely an oil is to turn rancid — higher values mean more unsaturated fat and faster spoilage.
See also: Hydrogenation, Saponification value
A test for lactoperoxidase, used to confirm that milk has not been over-heated.
Used to check whether blanched frozen vegetables were heated for long enough — a positive result means the enzyme survived and the vegetable may spoil in storage.
See also: Phosphatase test, Pasteurisation
Milliequivalents of peroxide oxygen per kilogram of fat, measuring primary oxidation products (hydroperoxides).
What a quality lab checks on stored cooking oil or fried snacks to catch rancidity before it's noticeable by smell or taste.
See also: Rancidity, Antioxidant
A test for the enzyme alkaline phosphatase, used to confirm adequate milk pasteurisation.
The quick lab check that confirms milk was actually pasteurised properly, used routinely by dairies and food inspectors.
See also: Pasteurisation, Peroxidase test
The factor by which a reaction rate changes for a 10 °C rise in temperature.
Explains why food spoils roughly twice as fast for every 10°C rise in storage temperature — the basis for shelf-life predictions and cold-chain rules.
See also: Accelerated shelf life testing, z-value
The study of deformation and flow. Newtonian fluids have constant viscosity; non-Newtonian fluids do not.
The science behind why ketchup stays thick until you shake or squeeze it, and why ice cream should feel creamy, not icy, in the mouth.
See also: Newtonian fluid, Thixotropy
Milligrams of KOH needed to saponify one gram of fat.
Used in soap-making and oil-quality testing to judge the average size of fatty acid chains in a fat or oil.
See also: Iodine value
The measurement of food attributes through the human senses under controlled conditions. Discriminative tests detect difference, descriptive tests characterise it, affective tests measure liking.
The formal tasting panels food companies run before launching a new product, deciding things like whether a new biscuit is “too sweet.”
See also: Triangle test, Hedonic scale
The period during which a food remains safe and retains its intended sensory, chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics under stated storage conditions.
The date printed on every packaged food label, based on real storage testing rather than a guess.
See also: Accelerated shelf life testing, Water activity
The spontaneous expulsion of liquid from a gel as its network contracts.
The watery liquid that separates on top of curd, paneer or an old jar of jam — a texture defect food manufacturers try to prevent.
See also: Retrogradation, Pectin
A time-dependent decrease in viscosity under constant shear, with recovery on standing.
Why tomato ketchup flows more easily after shaking or stirring but thickens again once left standing.
See also: Rheology, Newtonian fluid
A discriminative sensory test in which a panellist receives three samples, two identical, and identifies the odd one.
The blind taste test food companies run to check if consumers can actually tell the difference when a recipe or ingredient changes, like a sugar or salt reduction.
See also: Sensory evaluation, Hedonic scale
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