Abstract: This sthdy investigated the changes in the sensory score, electronic tongue Euclidean distance (ED) and electronic nose odor distance of fresh whole milk during storage at 4, 15, 23 and 30 ℃. Using combination of a zero-order reaction kinetics model and the Arrhenius equation, shelf life prediction models for fresh milk were established based on the thresholds calculated for electronic tongue ED and electronic nose odor distance from the critical point of sensory quality changes, separately. The predicted shelf life using electronic nose and tongue was 16.2 and 15.7 days, respectively, showing 8.0% and 4.7% errors compared with the actual value, respectively. The results showed that electronic nose and electronic tongue technology can effectively monitor the quality changes of milk during accelerated shelf life, which provides a new idea for the determination of milk shelf life.

Key words: fresh whole milk; shelf life; electronic nose; electronic tongue; Arrhenius equation