Shelf-life study of freeze dried ‘sambal tumis bilis’

H. A. Hasimah, M. K. Noraini and M. Y. Rafiah Hasanah

Abstract

‘Sambal tumis bilis’, a popular Malaysian dish of fried anchovies in chilli gravy, was freeze dried to 0.73% moisture. Freeze dried sambal tumis bilis samples packed in polyester/aluminium/polyethylene (PET/Al/PE) and polyester/ polyethylene/aluminium/polyethylene/special film (PET/PE/Al/PE/SF) with and without nitrogen flushing, were stored for 8 months at 25 °C. Free fatty acid determination, sensory and microbiological evaluations were conducted to determine the quality of the products. Without nitrogen flushing, freeze dried sambal tumis bilis packed in both packaging materials had a shelf-life of 3 months while those packed with nitrogen had a shelf-life of at least 8 months. Nitrogen flushing was thus able to extend the shelf-life of the product for another 5 months.

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