Consumer requirements for high-quality, shelf-stable foodstuffs
have helped drive the development of products such
as fruit-filled snack bars, which have a relatively low water
activity and a shelf life of 12 months or longer. Determining
the end of shelf life for this type of product where
quality changes, not microbial safety, are the deciding
factors, is an unacceptably slow process in the commercial
environment with the result that accelerated shelf life
testing regimes are often used. The most commonly used