How to Determine Shelf Life - A Brief Discussion

Food Product Shelf life is often required by regulators, distributors and retailers from food producers prior to allowing a product to be sold. Shelf life can be determined through a variety of processes, however for each product there will be the need to develop a project and consider the unique requirements of product, storage temperature, retail environment and detail of shelf life.

The simplest way to determine shelf life is to simply store the product at proposed retail storage conditions and perform a simple taste and appearance evaluation at given intervals. When product is no longer acceptable then shelf life is determined. This simple procedure can usually be performed by the food manufacturer within their own facilities. Prior to this, testing for pH and water activity can indicate shelf stability of product.

To add an additional level of detail during the study, the food manufacturer can submit samples for 'food poisoning' microbiology package that determines total bacteria, yeast and mold, coliforms, staphylococcus aureus, salmonella and clostridium perfringens on periodic samples throughout the study. This will add a level of confidence for food safety within the simple study.

There has been a suggestion that shelf life studies can be accelerated. However a real time study is the only format available for most budgets. An accelerated shelf life study requires a database of information on how all the ingredients of a food product, under certain conditions and mixtures, would react at elevated temperature and humidity and how that would relate to a real time study. The comparative information is not easily available and cost prohibitive.

Shelf life studies can be fully customized as necessary. There is virtually no limit to the parameters to consider when evaluating your product's shelf life. However, simplicity is usually the best process. Simply measure the bacterial, yeast and mold load of your product over time under expected storage conditions to evaluate the food safety parameters. You may add pathogens of concern during the study. At the same time you will monitor, within your own facilities, the taste, odour, feel and appearance of your product during the shelf life evaluation. Once the product reaches a stage that you feel is unacceptable and the food safety aspect is still acceptable you will be able to specify a shelf life.

 

For further information and to set up a consultation for shelf life evaluation, please contact:

 

Peter Taylor

Business Development Manager
IG MicroMed Environmental Services
Direct: 604-209-2858
Email: ptaylor@igmicromed.com