Compressed biscuits (CBs) were developed using wheat flour, soy flour, sugar, oil and malt extract. Combining of compression and dehydration technology were applied for production. Packaging CBs using vacuum packaged, use of oxygen absorber (OA) and identical samples were aerobically packaged and stored at ambient and elevated (40°с) temperature for 12 weeks. The effect of different packaging and temperature on chemical (FFA, peroxide value, aw and pH) and sensory (taste, texture and overall acceptability) characteristics of CBs was examined during storage. Free fatty acid (FFA) values showed no significant differences for all packaging treatments. According to peroxide values (PV) oxidation rate in aerobically packed CBs was the highest. These data suggest that OA were effective in prolonging the lag time before the PV started to build up. During storage a decrease in aw and pH values and an increase in FFA and PV values were observed. Although elevated temperature accelerated all chemical reactions but all chemical parameters met national standards. Evaluation of sensory characteristics showed that storage temperature and packaging method had no significant effect on sensory quality of the samples. The good correlation between the PV and taste scores evaluated by panelists suggested that oxidation is one of the main reasons of off flavor in CBs. Overall, the developed compact biscuit was stable at least 12 weeks in all packaging treatments.

Key words: compressed biscuit, oxygen absorber, vacuum packaging, sensory evaluation