Food items are often perishable and have a limited shelf life. Legislation requiring a declaration of “Best before” date and the interest of the manufacturer to assure the quality of his products within the declared time makes a frm control of the adulterating reactions in the product highly desirable, A thorough knowledge of the aging mechanism allows the manufacturer to take proper actions to prevent rapid decay.
Microcalorimetry is a very useful tool for the measurement of the degree of aging of a product and also for the elucidation of the aging mechanism. This can sometimes be a formidable task in such a complex matrix as a food product.