Shelf Life Studies | Shelf Life Testing Lab

There are a wide variety of foods on the shelves of our supermarket.

And we all know they have a date on them that limits its consumption and if you consume that food beyond that time limit, your health may be affected.

When products go through processing and packaging, additives are added to the foods to make sure they are well maintained for a specific period of time. As consumers, this is something we depend on when buying food. We are used to having everything at our disposal that we don't even think about the shelf life studies that take place to make our foods safe for consumption.

The product shelf life can be defined as the determination of the time a specific product can keep their character, safety and quality.

To properly evaluate the product shelf life, there are two different tests that can be done — depending on the kinds of products that are being tested:

Real-Time Studies

This study is meant for those products with a shorter shelf life. With this study, the experts check the product at regular intervals to see when they start to deteriorate.

Accelerated Studies

This study is applied to products with a longer shelf life and it allows testing labs to see the results faster since you see the impact of any changes almost immediately. When performing this study, the experts can, for example, use temperature changes to see any deterioration of the product. Then, when they get the results, these are used to build a predictive mathematical model that will be able to tell them when, under normal circumstances, this will happen.

When the accelerated studies are used, it's also recommended to perform a real time study. There are many advantages of performing a shelf life study:

• Prevent any recalls of the product;
• Protect the reputation of the brand;
• Maintain the quality of the products;
• Keep the consumer safe;
• Avoid expensive litigation;
• Improve overall profitability.

Although there isn't a designated time to conduct a shelf life study, there are some situations that are more appropriate:

• When there is a change in the ingredients or in the supplier materials;
• To collect the correct data for validation;
• When you are launching a new product;
• When you change the lifespan;
• When you just got a new package for the product.

Food safety testing is crucial for all consumers and testing should be performed by a qualified test lab. Even if there aren't any changes in the products, it's better to be safe than sorry. We need these tests to be performed so we can consume products without any consequences to our own health.

Located in Coopersville, MI, Alliance Analytical Laboratories is a testing lab with national and international capabilities. Contact us today to request a quote or call us directly at (616) 837-7670.