As demonstrated in previous surveys, the use of natural antioxidants constitutes a valid and technically feasible solution to slow oxidative processes in breakfast cereals, thus limiting the appearance of sensory flaws during their preservation. The list of ingredients is one of the aspects on which it is possible to intervene in order to preserve the characteristics of a food product throughout its shelf-life. In addition, the choice of suitable packaging is to be equally considered, also because the current extreme market segmentation has led to the proliferation of a large number of alternatives. With this perspective, the purpose of this work was to examine the behavior of natural antioxidants in breakfast cereals stored for 180 days in different commercial packages according to used materials: a double film bag in coextruded and printed polypropylene and a high density polyethylene bag combined with a cardboard case. These products were subject to sensory qualitative descriptive analysis. The results show interesting interactions between antioxidants and packaging. In particular, the polyethylene package proved to be able to significantly improve the cereals’ sensory characteristics, by acting synergistically with antioxidants.
Bibliography
V.M. Paradiso et al., Progress in Nutrition, 13, 2011, 286-291
