Modelo para medida da degradação em tempo real e estimativa de vida útil de confeitos vítreo

Abstract

The strong competitiveness in the global market and the increasing demands of consumers for new and better quality products motivate the confectionary industry to constantly improve reliability and the process of product development. In this scenario, the use of mathematical models may provide more preciseness and speed in the processes that estimate shelf life, besides real time knowledge about food quality. The shelf life of glassy confectionery is influenced by the temperature and environment relative humidity. These factors accelerate the process of water absorption along the time of transport and storage. In this case, food degradation is related to its moisture content. When this level reaches a critical value, undesirable alterations of texture make the selling and consumption infeasible. Thus, predicting the moisture content in relation to time and other parameters allows the evaluation of degradation at any time. The aim of this study was to develop a mathematical model to estimate the shelf life and the degradation of glassy confectionery in real time. The method for the construction of the model is illustrated by means of the application to hard candies produced on an industrial scale. The influence of the parameters in the model was obtained by moisture diffusion models based on Fick’s first law. In static tests, accelerated to 20°C, 25°C, 30°C, and 35°C, the model was reliable enough to predict the shelf life of glassy confectionery, with relative errors lower than 6.39%. In the application of the model in dynamic test, the relative average error between the level of experimental moisture and the one predicted was 0.87%, suggesting the model is reliable enough for predicting degradation in relation to time. The method and the proposals of improvement suggested in this study may be used as a reference to determine the expiration date and in future studies of stability, both in the academic environment and in industry. The application of the dynamic model allows one to know the degradation in real time, contributing to decrease the complaints of customers, losses for returning products and, consequently, the environmental impact.