The main objectives of a food manufacturer are to produce quality food that is safe, nutritious, affordable and that which fulfils or exceeds customer expectations with a longer shelf life. To cater for those elements, services including shelf life studies have become crucial to many food manufacturers.

Such shelf life studies are becoming more important in recent years due to the increased competition among manufacturers to export their products. This has prompted companies to optimise technology to enhance their food product and to remain competitive in the market.

In order to expand their business, a local Singapore company Cecilia Minced & Dried Pork Food Trading which manufactures minced and dried pork products approached the Diploma in Applied Food Science and Nutrition course in the Temasek Applied Science School in AY04/05. The company wished to carry out studies to extend the shelf life of their bak kwa products whilst preserving the quality of their products.

A shelf life monitoring programme was designed and carried out on bak kwa products in order to determine the best processing conditions. Bench mark studies were also carried out to pitch the product against competitors’ products so as to maintain and improve existing product quality.

The project has enabled the company to optimise recipes, processing conditions and prolong the shelf life of the product. As a result, the Cecelia’s bak kwa sales improved considerably.