Basic parameters of a new production technology for “gyros”. A shelf life study of the product at 4 °C

A production technology for a new product with similar characteristics to traditional gyros is presented. The new product is considered precooked, marketed under refrigeration or frozen and has only to be microwave reheated before consumption. The thermal processing assures the product’s safety (minimum FP70 value 9.81 min). In a shelf life study product’s microbiological and sensory quality was monitored during storage at 4 °C. It was still acceptable after 4 weeks.The effect of frozen storage on processing yield, chemical composition, pH values, shear-force values and sensory attributes of the product was evaluated. The different way of storage did not affect the product’s quality and yield surpassed 84%. The new product had almost half total fat content in comparison to traditional gyros and 33.3% increased monounsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio (M/S) in comparison to traditional gyros. Eighty percent of participates in a consumer panel would have chosen to consume the new product instead of traditional gyros. This percentage reached 87.5% if it was labeled as a “reduced fat gyros”.