Statistical Analysis of Microbiological Shelf Life of Paneer Using Microbial Growth and Food-safety Thresholds

Abstract

Paneer is a fresh dairy product that may experience microbial growth and quality changes during storage. The present study examined changes in paneer quality using a dataset obtained from the Mendeley Data repository. The dataset contained 70 observations covering 14 storage days, from Day 0 to Day 13. Total plate count (TPC), pH, moisture content, and overall acceptability were studied using descriptive statistics. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between storage time and TPC, and Pearson correlation was used to study the relationships between TPC and other quality parameters. The microbial counts were converted to estimated CFU/g and compared with the microbiological limits given by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Reliability analysis was performed using the FSSAI upper limit as the failure threshold. The results showed that TPC increased from 2.29 log10⁡ CFU/mL on Day 0 to 5.72 log10⁡ CFU/mL on Day 13, while pH, moisture, and overall acceptability decreased during storage. The regression model showed a strong relationship between storage time and TPC, with an R2 of 98.69%. TPC also showed strong negative correlations with pH, moisture, and overall acceptability. Based on the FSSAI criteria, Day 7 was the last acceptable observed day, while the model estimated 99% reliability at about 7.13 days and 95% reliability at 7.45 days. The study shows that statistical analysis can help describe microbial deterioration and storage behaviour of paneer.