QUALITY CHANGES OF CEREAL MUESLI WITH SEEDS DURING STORAGE

Cereals play a vital role in diet because they not only provide humans with essential macronutrients such as protein, fat and carbohydrate for growth and maintenance but also supply with vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients for optimal health. In recent years the activities of human consumption "clean" products, with no extra added sugars, food additives and preservatives increases. The aim of this study was to evaluate cereal muesli with seeds quality changes during storage. Samples of muesli with seeds (linseeds, pumpkins seeds, almond slices) were packaged in 3 different packages paper bag, paper tubes and Doypack (standup pouches) and stored for 6 months (at 20 +/- 2 degrees C temperature and air humidity -50 +/- 5%). During the storage moisture content, water activity, and microbiological safety were evaluated. After 6 months storage of muesli with seeds, the moisture content in samples packaged in the paper tube decreases by 14.3%, in Doypack-20.5% and in paper bag by 34.9%. The lowest moisture content was determined for muesli samples storage in the paper package -6.00%.Water activity compared to the fresh prepared muesli (a(w) =0.56) decreased, in paper tube it was 0.33, in paper bag -0.16 and in Doypack -0.47. As more unusable for cereal muesli with seeds packaging paper bags was detected, because of essential quality changes of samples during storage. After 6 months storage total count of microorganisms and moulds increase, but remained within the normal range. Therefore, the shelf-life of cereal muesli with seeds packaged in paper tube or Doypack for 6 months could be recommendable.