Accelerated shelf-life assessment of moringa-fortified instant complementary food for infants aged 6-11 months based on microbial parameters.

Instant powdered complementary food is a commercial product designed to meet the nutritional needs of infants aged 6-11 months. This study aimed to determine the shelf life of instant powdered complementary food products fortified with moringa flour using semi-aluminum foil packaging based on microbial and mold growth parameters. The product was prepared from a mixture of ingredients such as wheat flour, mocaf flour, soybean flour, chicken eggs, ultra-high temperature milk, and vegetable oil, according to the SNI 01-7111.1-2005 standards. The study used the accelerated shelf-life testing method with the Arrhenius equation model, storing the products at 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C for 28 days. Results showed that total microbial and mold counts increased significantly at 30°C and 40°C over 28 days, while storage at 50°C led to a decline in microbial counts and slower mold growth. Using the Arrhenius-based first-order model, the predicted shelf life increased with temperature, reaching up to 92.7 days based on microbial growth and 40.8 days based on mold growth at 50°C. This trend is attributed to the lower reaction rate constants (k values) at higher temperatures, indicating slower deterioration. However, since mold growth was the limiting factor, the shortest shelf-life estimate, 33.5 days at 30°C, should be considered for practical labeling. It is therefore recommended to store moringa-fortified instant complementary food packaged in semi-aluminum foil at or below 30°C to suppress microbial activity and maintain product safety and quality throughout its shelf life. These results highlight the importance of temperature control in extending the product's microbial stability and suggest further real-time studies to validate shelf life under typical storage conditions.