Evaluation of shelf life of retort pouch packaged Rogan josh, a traditional meat curry of Kashmir, India

Rogan josh, a traditional meat product of Kashmir, India was prepared according to the standardized recipe. It was packed in retort pouches and processed in a retort at 121 °C from F0 7 to 11 min. All the samples were stored at ambient temperature and analyzed for various quality characteristics for 12 months. During storage, all the processed samples showed a decreasing trend for pH, shear force and sensory attributes while showed an increasing trend for free fatty acid content and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. All the processed samples were microbiologically safe with acceptable sensory characteristics throughout the storage. However, the samples processed to F0 9 showed the highest overall acceptability. The present study suggests that retort pouch processing is suitable for long term storage of Rogan josh at ambient temperature with acceptable quality and safety for 12 months. Retort pouch processing of Rogan josh will thus, help to increase the market demand for such traditional products due to convenience and ready to eat features.