Quality Deterioration Kinetics and Arrhenius-Based Shelf-Life Prediction of Ready-to-Eat Tremella fuciformis Cold Dishes

Shelf-life prediction is crucial for the industrial development and quality preservation of ready-to-eat (RTE) Tremella fuciformis cold dishes. In this study, we investigated the quality deterioration kinetics of T. fuciformis RTE dishes during storage at 5 °C, 15 °C, and 25 °C to establish an Arrhenius-based shelf-life prediction model. Throughout the storage period, the total bacterial count (TBC), viscosity, b* value, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content continuously increased, whereas firmness and sensory scores exhibited a negative correlation with storage time. The interpolated microbiological shelf-life endpoints, determined as the time required for TBC to reach 5.0 log CFU/g, were 19.01, 5.53, and 1.58 days at 5 °C, 15 °C, and 25 °C, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis identified TBC and MDA as the primary predictive indicators, with both parameters strictly conforming to zero-order reaction kinetics. Validation of the Arrhenius-based models revealed that the TBC-based model showed lower internal prediction error within the tested temperature range (average relative error of 8.92%), significantly outperforming the MDA model, which exhibited poor reliability (30.41% average relative error). These findings provide a practical reference for cold-chain management and shelf-life estimation of RTE T. fuciformis products for optimizing cold-chain management and ensuring the microbiological safety of RTE T. fuciformis products.