Shelf-life modeling for whole egg powder: Application of the general stability index and multivariate accelerated shelf-life test

The quality changes in whole egg powders (WEP) during accelerated storage (40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C for 35 days) were characterized by monitoring its moisture, pH, color, volatile flavor component, sensory attribute, particle size, and lipid oxidation. The general stability index (GSI) and multivariate accelerated shelf-life test (MASLT) were used to estimate the shelf-life of WEP. GSI evaluated the sensory scores, hydroperoxide (ROOH) content, malondialdehyde content, and acid value (AV), representing the shelf-life quality loss of WEP. For the MASLT, the data set was spatially compressed by principal components analysis (PCA) to obtain scores for the time-dependent components for further shelf-life evaluation. The predicted shelf-life at 25 °C storage using the GSI and MASLT model were 500 and 452 days, respectively. Overall, the MASLT model was more comprehensive and considered a more stringent predictor of shelf-life.