Development of Packaging Materials to Extend the Shelf Life of Rice Cakes

This study was carried out to prolong shelf life of wrapped rice cake by suggesting a new flexible material combination and technique for rice cake packaging. Existing packaging materials was analyzed and sensory evaluation was carried out according to storage period of rice cakes with different packaging materials. The LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene)/ONy (oriented nylon) laminated film proposed as a packaging material prevented the rice cake from drying on the surface and showed a better touch feeling than the conventional wrapping material. The texture and sensory properties of rice cake wrapped with the laminated film showed better performance over the conventional one after 24 hours storage. The film composition and thickness of the composite film proposed in this study were superior to conventional LDPE and similar laminating films in terms of various barrier properties, and were suitable for maintaining the quality and shelf life of the packaged rice cake for the room temperature distribution.