Effects of Package Temperature and Days of Storage on the Flavor Score of Processed Milk ¹

Shelf-life studies were made on commercially pasteurized milk packaged in fiberboard and blow-mold plastic containers, using two temperatures of storage {4.5 and 7 C) and 0, 7 and 14 days of storage. Quality parameters evaluated were flavor, Standard Plate Count, coliform count, oxidase-positive bacteria count and acid degree value. The data suggest a shelf-life (flavor score ⩾ 36.0) of 2-3 days at 7 C and 7 days at 4.5 C. No significant (P > .01) differences, in the parameters measured, were noted between milk packaged in fiberboard and plastic jugs which were not exposed to fluorescent light. A second phase of this study examined the shelf-life of commercially pasteurized milk packaged in fiberboard containers only. The milks were tested at 0,3,5,7,9,11 and 13 days of storage, using the same parameters noted above. The results suggested a satisfactory shelf-life of 11 and 9 days, respectively, for storage temperatures of 4.5 and 7.0 C.