The extension of the shelf-life of 'pesto' sauce by a combination of modified atmosphere packaging and refrigeration

This study was intended to extend, by optimizing modified atmosphere packag ing (MAP), the shelf-life of the Italian vegetable sauce used for spaghetti and known as 'pesto'. A mathematical model was developed in order to predi ct gas composition inside the polymeric package (CO2 concentration). Predic tions of equilibration time and equilibrium gas composition showed moderate ly good agreement with experimental data. A useful extension of pesto shelf -life, up to 120 days, was achieved by adopting a target atmosphere contain ing, at steady-state, 10% CO2 and 90% N-2 at 5 degrees C. Microbial growth was inhibited by the CO2 levels, but was not accompanied by significant cha nges in odour and colour.