This section includes a decision tree that food business operators should use to determine if vacuum packed and modified atmosphere packed products stored above 3ºC can safely have a shelf-life greater than ten days. A table, giving equivalent time/temperature combinations for spores of non-proteolyric Clostridium botulinum, is also available.
Table: Equivalent time/temperature combinations for spores of non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum
| Temperature (ºC) |
Time (minutes) |
| 80 |
129.0 |
| 81 |
100.0 |
| 82 |
77.0 |
| 83 |
60.0 |
| 84 |
46.0 |
| 85 |
36.0 |
| 86 |
28.0 |
| 87 |
22.0 |
| 88 |
17.0 |
| 89 |
13.0 |
| 90 |
10.0 |
| 91 |
7.9 |
| 92 |
6.3 |
| 93 |
5.0 |
| 94 |
4.0 |
| 95 |
3.2 |
| 96 |
2.5 |
| 97 |
2.0 |
| 98 |
1.6 |
| 99 |
1.3 |
| 100 |
1.0 |
Data from:
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) 'Report on Vacuum Packaging and Associated Processes' (1992)
Chilled Food Association: Best Practice Guidelines for the Production of Chilled Foods (4th edition, 2006). Published by The Stationery Office