Shelf-life study of Paneer Tikka using modified atmosphere packaging

Paneer tikka, a popular dish for vegetarians, is a tongue tingling favourite of Indian gourmets. It is a perishable commodity which requires more than five hours for its preparation.Paneer tikka is an exotic kebab of Indian cottage cheese. It is extensively used as fast-food during get-togethers, marriage parties, birthday parties, and also in restaurants. It is highly rich in proteins and fat, and also contains vitamins, minerals, fibre, sulphur compounds, and is laxative in nature. Paneer, which forms base for a variety of culinary dishes including Paneer tikka, is an important acid coagulated indigenous variety of soft cheese and tikka refers to general South Asian term meaning marinated barbequed food. Tikka means small pieces of meat or poultry marinated in yoghurt and tandoori spice mix, grilled or roasted and served with Indian bread and salad. The low shelf life of Paneer tikka is mainly due to microbial and physicochemical changes. Vacuum packaging of food product is meant to retard or completely check the oxidative reactions and inhibit the microbial growth by eliminating oxygen. Vacuum packaging extends the normal shelf life of food products by two to three times.