Shelf-life extension of Thai green papaya salad dressing by hurdle technology

Green papaya salad or Som Tum is the most popular spicy mixed salads in Thailand due to its unique rich flavor. Green papaya salad dressing (GPSD) is made from various ingredients such as fresh chili pepper, fresh garlic, rind tamarind, fish sauce and lime oil, including the limitation in controlling the taste and flavor of salad dressing and its poor shelf-life. In this study, a convenient ready-to-eat GPSD was developed. Hurdle technology was applied to extend shelf-life of the GPSD based on monitoring of microbial contamination and food pathogens throughout the process. Hurdle technology able to decrease total plate count (TPC) from 5.6 ± 0.2 to 1 ± 0.3 log CFU/g and yeast and mold (Y&M) from 4.2 ± 0.3 to