The consumer market is constantly changing. Consumers are becoming more discerning and have a greater awareness of dietary needs. In particular, consumers are increasingly showing a preference for natural foods not containing any "artificial" ingredients such as preservatives, stabilisers or artificial colouring or flavouring. Fresh food is, therefore, becoming more popular than dried, processed or frozen foods.
Chilled foods are perceived as being fresh and natural, the chilled cabinet is one of the fastest growing sectors of the European food market. However, a major problem of chilled culinary foods at the present time is that, unless they contain added preservatives, the maximum shelf life is usually no more than about seven days.
When one considers that, after manufacture, the life or a chilled food usually comprises distribution to a retailer, backof-store chill storage, display in chill cabinets, purchase by the consumer, transport home and storage in the refrigerator before consumption, a shelf life of seven days is extremely short and it would be desirable to have a significantly longer shelf life of up to three weeks or more yet without the addition of any "artificial" ingredients.