Shelf life

Shelf life is a popular term in the food industry, where its basic meaning is generally well understood as “the period of time from the production and packaging of a product to the point at which the product first becomes unacceptable under defined environmental and distributing conditions”.

WHY IS food SHELF LIFE TESTING IMPORTANT?

By conducting food product shelf life testing, it helps you identify the causes of reduced shelf life and improve your products, processes and ultimately profitability.

With accurate dates for your food products, you can ensure quality and safety for your consumers. This will reduce the risk of product recalls while contributing to maintaining your brand’s integrity and reputation.

What parameters are involved in food shelf life testing?

By performing shelf-life analyses, you can define accurate dates for your food products, ensuring that the quality remains acceptable and safe for consumers.

Glance at some of our services for shelf life testing of food products includes -

Food-borne microorganisms such as yeasts and moulds, listeria, salmonella, campylobacter, E. coli, and more
Total viable count of microorganisms
Challenge testing
Water activity testing
Acidity levels
Food pH
Rancidity
Texture changes
Microbial spoilage
Light-induced changes
Chemical browning
Enzymatic browning

We also conduct:

Food nutritional analyses
Allergen testing
Food contamination testing and residues determination

Relevant products:

Packaged and Frozen Foods
Produce and Juices
Dairy Products
Nutritional supplements
Confectionary

Eurofins offers six standard conditions for shelf life testing:

Frozen (-15°C to -20°C )
Refrigerated (2°C to 8°C )
Ambient (25°C/60%RH)
Intermediate (30°C/65%RH)
Accelerated (40°C/75%RH)
Tropical (30°C/75%RH)

The Eurofins Advantage

Competence Centres with state-of-the-art equipment such as GC, HPLCs, GCMSMS, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS systems
Fast turn-around time (TAT)
Local contact with a Global Network
Participation in industry associations and regulatory bodies allowing early advice on potential food scares and legal obligations
Expert advice - testing schemes, on-site-check for hygiene and allergens, labelling advice and traceability
Results you can rely on
International presence