Modelling of dissolved oxygen concentration during storage of packaged liquid foods

A mathematical model that combines oxygen uptake from the outside environment with oxygen consumption by oxidative reactions, in a liquid packed food during storage, was developed. The model was applied to orange juice aseptically packaged in Tetra Brik Aseptic cartons, during storage of up to 5 months at 4, 8, 20, 30, 40 and 50 degrees C. The parameters of the model, the oxygen mass transfer coefficient and the rate constant of consumption reactions, were estimated by fitting the model to the experimental data. The value of the rate constant estimated for the system tested in this work, was three orders of magnitude greater than the value of the oxygen mass transfer coefficient. The influence of temperature on the reaction rate was well described by art Arrhenius type equation, with an activation energy of 46 kJ/mole. This model was further tested with data reported in literature and it was found that it adequately describes the dissolved oxygen concentration changes during storage. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.