CFS Food Packaging & Shelf Life 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary function of oxygen scavengers incorporated into food packaging?
- To absorb excess moisture from headspace
- To remove residual oxygen and prevent oxidative spoilage (Correct answer)
- To kill pathogenic bacteria on food surfaces
- To maintain carbon dioxide concentration in the package
Correct answer: To remove residual oxygen and prevent oxidative spoilage
Oxygen scavengers chemically react with residual oxygen in the package headspace to reduce it to near-zero levels, preventing oxidative rancidity, color changes, and microbial growth.
Question 2: What does the Q10 value represent in accelerated shelf life testing?
- The ratio of reaction rates for a 10°C temperature increase (Correct answer)
- The quality score at 10 days of storage
- The oxygen level at 10% headspace concentration
- The quantity of product packaged within 10 hours
Correct answer: The ratio of reaction rates for a 10°C temperature increase
The Q10 value is the ratio of reaction rates when temperature increases by 10°C, allowing food scientists to extrapolate shelf life predictions across different storage temperatures.
Question 3: Retort packaging, such as flexible stand-up pouches, is specifically designed to withstand:
- Freezing temperatures below -40°F
- High pressure and high temperature sterilization conditions (Correct answer)
- Prolonged UV light and sunlight exposure
- Mechanical abrasion during distribution
Correct answer: High pressure and high temperature sterilization conditions
Retort packaging is engineered to withstand the high pressure and high temperature conditions (typically 250°F/121°C) of retort sterilization, producing commercially sterile shelf-stable products.
Question 4: Which gas is most commonly used in high-oxygen MAP to maintain the bright red color of fresh red meat?
- Nitrogen
- Carbon dioxide
- Carbon monoxide
- Oxygen (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Oxygen
High levels of oxygen (typically 60–80%) are used in MAP for fresh red meat to promote myoglobin oxygenation, forming oxymyoglobin, which produces the desirable bright red color.
Question 5: Migration of substances from food-contact packaging materials into food is regulated in the United States primarily under:
- USDA FSIS regulations
- FDA regulations under 21 CFR (Correct answer)
- EPA environmental standards
- OSHA workplace safety guidelines
Correct answer: FDA regulations under 21 CFR
The FDA regulates food-contact materials and substance migration into food under 21 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations), including indirect food additive regulations.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT)?
- To rapidly sterilize food products before packaging
- To predict shelf life by storing products under elevated stress conditions (Correct answer)
- To speed up the mechanical packaging process
- To increase production line throughput
Correct answer: To predict shelf life by storing products under elevated stress conditions
ASLT subjects products to elevated temperatures or other stress conditions to accelerate deterioration reactions, enabling shelf life predictions in a fraction of the real time required.
Question 7: Which packaging material property is most critical to evaluate when selecting packaging for a high-fat snack food prone to rancidity?
- Tensile strength
- Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) (Correct answer)
- Coefficient of friction
- Haze and clarity
Correct answer: Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR)
For high-fat foods prone to oxidative rancidity, the Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR) of packaging is the most critical property to minimize oxygen ingress and extend shelf life.
CFS Food Packaging & Shelf Life 2
What is the primary function of oxygen scavengers incorporated into food packaging?