Shelf-Life Studies
Food & beverage products

WHAT IS SHELF-LIFE TESTING?

Shelf-life testing/analysis involves exposing a product to environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity and light, to simulate real-world storage conditions. The result of such analysis helps manufacturers and consumers understand how the product will change over time. Shelf-life testing/analysis is a process that helps ensure that food products remain safe, meet quality standards, and deliver the expected taste and texture throughout their designated shelf-life. This protects consumers and also benefits manufacturers by minimizing waste and maximizing product marketability. Astute Labs is a one-stop solution for shelf-life testing of food & beverage products, albeit real time shelf-life testing, or accelerated shelf-life testing.

There are two ways of performing Shelf-life analysis:

  1. Real-time shelf-life testing:

In real-time shelf-life testing, we have to keep the product under normal conditions, that is room temperature and examine the product regularly for a given time. This could be anything from a few months to years and this is what we call the shelf-life of the product. We measure it this way to ensure that the product will remain stable on the shelf just like the ones that consumer will buy.

Key features of Real-time Shelf-life testing

Accuracy: This method provides the most accurate results of how a product degrades in actual conditions. It takes into consideration the situations, such as the temperature changes that might occur when storing the products at home.

Safety: Through cautious observation of the product, you will be sure that it is safe for usage throughout the product’s lifespan.

Time: The most prominent disadvantage is the long waiting period for results can be a big hindrance for product launches to be delayed.

Limited Scope: The testing is done at one storage condition only and hence it might not show how the product degrades under different scenarios that consumers might face.

  1. Accelerated shelf-life testing (ASLT):

Accelerated shelf-life testing rates the decomposition in harsher environments such as high light, high temperature, or high humidity. With this method, analysts can see how a product will maintain its characteristics in a much shorter period.

Accelerated shelf-life study is a process that helps predict the product’s shelf life which is kept a fraction of the time it takes under normal storage conditions. ASLT is harsh on food products by exposing them to higher-than-normal temperatures, humidity, and light, which leads to the acceleration of natural deterioration. Analysts use these tests to estimate how these stressed products would handle real-time situations like those on a store shelf.

Key features of Accelerated Shelf-Life Testing

Speed: This approach is faster than the normal way of getting shelf-life data, which is important to get the product to the market sooner.

Accelerated shelf life two (or more) temperature check: Accelerated Shelf-life Testing (ASLT) does not focus on employing one particular type of temperature test. Unlike real-time shelf-life testing based on a single temperature, accelerated testing consists of testing at two or more temperatures.

ASTUTE Labs Methods in Shelf-Life Testing

  • Microbiological Shelf-Life Tests:

This is the most crucial area in identifying the safe condition of the product during the whole shelf period. Microbial testing detection for the presence and growth of potentially harmful bacteria and mold that can cause other illnesses and yeast are considered foodborne pathogens. Testing these products usually goes through the process where the samples are grown up with a set of controlled conditions observing whether the microbes can grow at the end. Different kinds of tests may be able to energy micro-organisms that are highly frequent such as E. coli, Salmonella or Staphylococcus aureus.

  • Chemistry Quality Tests:

These tests determine what kind of chemical reaction will take place in a product after being stored. They decide on how the product’s quality will decrease as time passes. Common chemistry tests include:

  • pH measurement:

Manage changes in acidity or alkalinity, which can influence texture, flavour, and microbial growth.

  • Oxidation testing:

The primary function of the lipase enzyme is the breakdown of fats, which if not cross checked can lead to rancidity and off-flavours.

  • Moisture content analysis:

Checks water loss, which may lead to changes in texture or products shelf life.

  • Sensory and Physical Tests:

These tests check for any changes in the product’s sensory attributes, including appearance, aroma, texture, and taste, that may occur during storage. The product is evaluated at fixed time intervals by professional analysts who decide whether it is still fine to withstand consumer appreciation. Physical tests, on the other hand, might be based on the changes in color or texture and consistency of the food items.

ASTUTE Labs SHELF-LIFE Testing Services

At ASTUTE Labs we can perform SHELF-LIFE studies for various categories of food products.

CATEGORIES:

  • Cereal and Cereal Products
  • Milk and Dairy Products
  • Ready-to-eat food products
  • Ready to Cook food products
  • Spices and condiments
  • Alcoholic & Non-alcoholic beverages (non-alcoholic carbonated, carbonated water)
  • Fruits and Vegetable Products
  • Frozen Raw Meat Products
  • Bakery & Confectionery products

PRODUCTS:

  • Raw and processed or finished food grain whole and powdered products – rice, wheat, maize, chana, wheat flour, infant food, soya flour, Corn flour, Besan, Cornflakes, Sattu, Suji, Porridge, barley, malt-based foods.
  • Cheese, dairy-whitener, SMP, sweets, paneer, ice-creams, yoghurts, butter etc.
  • Examples include snacks, energy drinks, energy bars, cake, and others.
  • Khichadi, dosa batter, dhokla, poha, and so on.
  • Sachets of powdered Chilli, Aamchoor, Tamarind, Methi, Haldi, Clove, Cardamon, Coriander, black pepper, masala blends, cumin, cinnamon, soy sauce and Artificial syrups like fruit syrups, sharbat, squashes, crushes, and dispensers, among other uses.
  • Raw, processed, etc., fruits and related products.
  • Sugar crystals, caster sugar, cane sugar, jaggery, icing sugar.
  • Mutton, Chicken, Prawns, Fish etc.
  • Biscuits, hard-boiled confectionery, biscuits, sweets namkeen, toffee and lozenges. Bubble gum etc.

Testing Parameters Of FOOD Shelf-Life Testing

Shelf-life study involves detailed chemical and physical, as well as microbiological analysis of food product quality and hygiene.

PHYSICAL PARAMETERS
CHEMICAL PARAMETERS
MICROBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS
Appearance
Moisture Content
Total Viable Count
Odour
pH
Yeasts and Moulds
Colour
Acidity
Coliform
Taste
Alcoholic Acidity
Salmonella
Texture
Peroxide Value
E. coli
Acid Value
Staphylococcus Aureus
Free Fatty Acids (FFA)
Rancidity
Fat
Protein

Specific Conditions:

Using state-of-the-art stability chambers our shelf-life testing procedures ensure that products are kept at specific temperatures and humidity levels throughout the duration of the study.

Our stability and shelf-life laboratories offer multiple atmospheric conditions including the six standard conditions below:

SR.NO.
CHAMBERS TEMPERATURE
PRODUCT CATEGORY
1
25°C and RH 60 ± 5 %
Packaged Foods: Such as snacks, cereals, Spices, baked goods and candies etc
2
30°C and RH 65 ± 5 %
3
40°C and RH 75 ± 5 %
4
- 20°C – 60°C
Frozen Foods: Such as frozen fruit and vegetables, meats, Ice cream, Frozen desserts etc.
5
2.0°C - 8.0°C
Dairy Products: Such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and other perishable dairy items. These products need to be stored at low temperatures to prevent spoilage and maintain quality. Fresh Produce: Including fruits and vegetables, which require refrigeration to extend their shelf life and retain freshness. Prepared Foods: Such as ready-to-eat meals, salads, and sandwiches, which need to be kept cool to maintain their quality and safety.
6
25°C
Beverages: Such as bottled water, juices, and soft drinks, to assess stability and taste over time Dry Foods: Including pasta, rice, and flour, to check for moisture absorption and potential spoilage.

How is shelf life indicated on foods?

A food label usually includes an expiry date, either a best-before or a use-by date.

  • A food item’s BEST BEFORE DATE indicates the maximum amount of time that it is reasonable to assume it will maintain its best qualities, such as freshness
  • USE BY DATE is the longest period of time a food can stay safe for consumption under prescribed storage conditions. Therefore, such foods could cause you poisoning when taken after the expiry period. Some of these are chilled dairy products, cooked meat and prepared salads that have use-by dates.

In essence, Shelf-life testing is a process of finding out how long a product stays good for consumption.