METHODOLOGY FOR SENSORY SHELF-LIFE ESTIMATION: A REVIEW

When talking about shelf life of foods, in the vast majority of cases we are talking about sensory shelf life of foods. The review presents an overview of the published research over the past decades classified according to the following topics: (1) cut-off point methodology (arbitrary and regression-based cut-off points); (2) methods based on product failure or consumers' rejection (failure with no censorship, logistic regression and survival analysis); (3) accelerated studies; and (4) other topics and further research. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Going through the aisles of the food and beverage sections of a supermarket shows that the number of food products whose shelf life is dependent on their sensory properties is far greater than those products whose shelf life depends on microbiological and/or nutritional properties. The present review allows researchers and practitioners to count on a summary of the salient research articles published on the theme of sensory shelf life. Articles which deal with methodological and design issues are presented, together with a critical review of articles where poor methodology has been applied.