Non-microbiological factors affecting quality and safety H M. Brown and M.N. Hall, Campden and Chorleywood Food Research association 9.1 Introduction As the chilled foods market has expanded and become more competitive, so have the demands for diversity, quality and longer shelf-life. Meeting these demands in a responsible, safe and cost-effective manner requires the application of an understanding of the factors that affect product safety and quality. Many problems can be avoided by applying this knowledge to a formalised HACCP approach to identify critical control points relating to quality as well as safety and to make realistic predictions of shelf-life. Considering these issues early in the product development process offers the best chance of providing a product that meets the consumer's expectations and delivers the desired market opportunities to the company. Food is probably the most hemically complex substance that most people encounter. There are over half million naturally occurring compounds in fresh plant food and more are formed as a result of processing, cooking and storage. They are responsible for the appearance, flavour, texture and nutritional value of the food(quality ) and for its physiological effects when consumed(safety) Non-microbiological factors that affect quality and safety of chilled foods be broadly divided into chemical, biochemical and physico-chemical factors Each of these is dependent on properties of the food(e.g. pH, water activity )and the conditions in which the food is held(e.g. temperature, gaseous atmosphere) Attention to the selection of raw materials in order to achieve high quality is paramount, since subsequent processing cannot compensate for poor-quality raw materials, particularly for chilled foods in which the perception of "freshness is one of the most important criteria for its purchase9.1 Introduction As the chilled foods market has expanded and become more competitive, so have the demands for diversity, quality and longer shelf-life. Meeting these demands in a responsible, safe and cost-effective manner requires the application of an understanding of the factors that affect product safety and quality. Many problems can be avoided by applying this knowledge to a formalised HACCP approach to identify critical control points relating to quality as well as safety and to make realistic predictions of shelf-life. Considering these issues early in the product development process offers the best chance of providing a product that meets the consumer’s expectations and delivers the desired market opportunities to the company. Food is probably the most chemically complex substance that most people encounter. There are over half a million naturally occurring compounds in fresh plant food and more are formed as a result of processing, cooking and storage. They are responsible for the appearance, flavour, texture and nutritional value of the food (quality), and for its physiological effects when consumed (safety). Non-microbiological factors that affect quality and safety of chilled foods can be broadly divided into chemical, biochemical and physico-chemical factors. Each of these is dependent on properties of the food (e.g. pH, water activity) and the conditions in which the food is held (e.g. temperature, gaseous atmosphere). Attention to the selection of raw materials in order to achieve high quality is paramount, since subsequent processing cannot compensate for poor-quality raw materials, particularly for chilled foods in which the perception of ‘freshness’ is one of the most important criteria for its purchase. 9 Non-microbiological factors affecting quality and safety H. M. Brown and M. N. Hall, Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association