Shelf Life Testing
Anresco 92 Most perishable foods sold commercially in the United States undergo analytical testing to determine the “shelf life” (aka ‘best by’ date) of a product under normal storage conditions before excessive quality and/or safety degradation occurs. While not a regulatory requirement, determining shelf life is valuable for vendors to establish a time frame in which to safely sell their products. Similarly, providing consumers with an expiration date ensures that a product unfit for human consumption is not unintendedly ingested.
At Anresco, we tailor the testing protools for each shelf life study depending on the product analyzed and customer expectations/requirements. All studies have a microbiological component. Some also include testing for chemical, sensory, nutrient, and/or API parameters.
Real Time Studies
On Day 0 of our studies, our shelf life testing lab examines the product for Coliforms, E.coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. If the product fails any of these tests, the rest of the shelf life study is discontinued. Anresco then performs the following tests at varying intervals:
- Standard Plate Count
- Yeast & Mold
- Lactic Acid Bacteria
Depending on the product and its expected viability, Anresco will recommend a proposed schedule (e.g. 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, etc.). This schedule may be altered by our Microbiology Department if they visualize noticeable changes to the product during the study. If the product fails at any point in time, all future scheduled testing dates are discontinued and not charged for.
Accelerated Studies
Anresco Laboratories employs a variety of ICH compliant stability chambers, which regulate both temperature and humidity, to conduct accelerated shelf life stability studies. These are typically run on products with a longer shelf life and in parallel with a real-time study. Not every product is a good candidate for accelerated studies, including products with a high fat content due to rancidity issues.
Aging Calculator
The most common method includes storage of the product at 35C for 13 days to represent 1 month at ambient temperature.
ICH Guidelines
ICH compliant studies are typically performed on nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products and include storage at 25C for 12-36 months or 40C for 6 months.
If you would like a formalized testing proposal and quote,
please complete our shelf life study questionnaire at the link below and we will get back to you as soon as we can.