SHELF LIFE & QUALITY TESTING

Empty metal wire shelves in a cool-toned environment.

Product Stability, Quality Changes, and Date-Coding Support

A product may change microbiologically, chemically, or physically long before those changes are obvious to the manufacturer or consumer.

Biotrax provides food and beverage shelf-life testing to help clients understand how products perform over time under defined storage conditions. Studies may support proposed date coding, product development, quality monitoring, packaging or formulation comparisons, and investigation of unexpected product changes.

Each shelf-life study is planned around the product, expected storage conditions, target timeframe, and information the client needs to collect. Contact us before submitting so we can help clarify the study design, testing intervals, sample quantities, and appropriate analyses.

LET'S DISCUSS YOUR SHELF-LIFE STUDY

When Shelf-Life Testing May Help

Food and beverage companies may request shelf-life or product-quality testing when they are:

Developing or launching a new product.
Establishing a proposed best-by or quality date.
Comparing packaging materials or container formats.
Changing a formulation, ingredient, supplier, or processing step.
Expanding into new storage or distribution conditions
Evaluating refrigerated, frozen, ambient, or shelf-stable products.
Investigating spoilage, separation, oxidation, fermentation, swelling, or other quality changes.
Comparing affected and unaffected production lots.
Reviewing whether a product continues to meet internal or customer specifications.
Collecting stability data before making a product or production decision.

A shelf-life study should begin with a clear question. The testing plan can then focus on the changes most likely to limit the product’s acceptable life.

SHELF-LIFE IS NOT ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL

Different products lose quality in different ways.

For one product, the limiting factor may be yeast or mold growth. For another, it may be oxidation, moisture change, loss of acidity, separation, or another product-specific characteristic.

The appropriate shelf-life plan may depend on:

Product formulation and ingredients.
Processing and preservation methods.
Packaging type and package integrity.
Intended storage temperature.
Distribution and handling conditions.
Product exposure after opening.
Expected or proposed shelf life.
Known spoilage risks.
Internal, customer, or regulatory specifications.
The quality characteristics most important to the product.

Biotrax works with the client to select study conditions, testing intervals, and laboratory analyses that address the specific purpose of the project.

REAL-TIME OR ACCELERATED SHELF-LIFE TESTING?

REAL-TIME SHELF-LIFE STUDIES

Real-time studies monitor a product under its expected storage conditions for all or part of its proposed life.

Samples are evaluated at predetermined intervals to document how selected microbiological and quality characteristics change over time. This approach provides data that directly reflects the conditions included in the study.

Real-time testing may be appropriate for:

Establishing or reviewing a proposed shelf life.
Monitoring routine product stability.
Comparing production lots.
Evaluating packaging or formulation changes.
Confirming findings from an earlier accelerated study.

ACCELERATED SHELF-LIFE STUDIES

Accelerated studies place products under controlled stress conditions intended to increase the rate of selected changes.

They may help manufacturers obtain earlier stability information during product development or compare formulations and packaging options before a full real-time study is complete.

Accelerated shelf-life testing is not appropriate for every product or every type of deterioration. The relationship between accelerated conditions and normal storage must be considered carefully, and accelerated findings may need to be supported by real-time data.

ASK US WHICH STUDY FITS YOUR PRODUCT

WHAT CAN BE MONITORED DURING A SHELF-LIFE STUDY?

The analyses included in a shelf-life study should reflect the product’s likely failure points and the purpose of the project.

MICROBIOLOGICAL QUALITY

Microbiological testing may help document whether bacterial, yeast, or mold levels change during storage.

Depending on the product and study objective, analyses may include:

Aerobic count
Total yeast and mold
Coliforms
Generic E. coli
Enterobacteriaceae
Staphylococcus aureus
Bacillus cereus
Other applicable product-specific organisms

Microbiological results may help identify trends, investigate spoilage, compare storage intervals, and determine when a product no longer meets an established specification.

WATER ACTIVITY

Water activity measures the water available to support microbial growth and chemical reactions.

It is different from total moisture content. Water-activity testing may help evaluate product stability, formulation changes, moisture migration, and the conditions that could support microbial growth.

MOISTURE CONTENT

Moisture testing measures the total amount of water in a product by mass.

Changes in moisture may affect product weight, texture, crispness, softness, flow, clumping, and overall stability. Moisture results may be especially useful when packaging performance or moisture transfer is a concern.

pH

pH measures how acidic or alkaline a product is.

Changes in pH may affect product quality, preservation, microbial behavior, flavor, and process consistency. Monitoring pH over time can help identify whether the product remains within its expected range.

PEROXIDE VALUE

Peroxide value measures primary oxidation products in fats and oils.

It may help evaluate early oxidative rancidity in oil-containing ingredients and products. Results can support comparison of formulations, packaging, storage conditions, or production lots where oxidation is a likely quality concern.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCT-SPECIFIC ANALYSES

Additional microbiological or chemical testing may be incorporated when relevant to the product and study objective.

Tell us what changes you are concerned about so the study can focus on the characteristics most meaningful to your product.

LET'S DISCUSS YOUR SHELF-LIFE STUDY NEEDS

HOW A SHELF-LIFE STUDY IS BUILT

A useful shelf-life study requires more than storing a product and testing it once at the end.

STEP 1: DEFINE THE QUESTION

The study begins by identifying what the client needs to learn.

This may include supporting a proposed date, comparing packaging, evaluating a formulation change, investigating spoilage, or monitoring a specific quality characteristic.

STEP 2: DEFINE THE PRODUCT AND PACKAGING

Biotrax may need information about the product, formulation, processing method, package, production date, and expected storage conditions.

The study applies to the product and package evaluated. A significant change may require the study plan to be reviewed or repeated.

STEP 3: SELECT STORAGE CONDITIONS

Storage should reflect the product’s intended use and distribution. Depending on the project, a study may include refrigerated, frozen, ambient, or controlled elevated-temperature conditions.

STEP 4: SELECT TESTING INTERVALS

Testing points are selected across the proposed or simulated shelf life.

Enough product must be supplied so the required analyses can be performed at each scheduled interval.

STEP 5: SELECT ANALYSES AND CRITERIA

The study should monitor the characteristics most likely to limit product quality or stability.

When available, internal specifications, customer requirements, or predetermined acceptance criteria help define how the results will be evaluated.

STEP 6: REVIEW RESULTS OVER TIME

Results are compared across intervals to identify changes, trends, and potential failure points.

The complete data set can then support the client’s product, packaging, quality, or date-coding decisions.

SUPPORTING PRODUCT DATE-CODING DECISIONS

Shelf-life testing can provide data relevant to a proposed best-by, best-if-used-by, sell-by, or other quality-based date.

A study may help identify:

How long selected characteristics remain within an established specification
When microbial or chemical changes begin to accelerate.
Whether the product behaves as expected under defined storage conditions.
Whether a formulation or packaging change affects stability.
Whether the proposed date is supported by the study data collected.

Biotrax provides laboratory results and study information to support the decision. The product manufacturer remains responsible for selecting the final date, determining the appropriate label language, and considering the complete safety, quality, regulatory, distribution, and consumer-use context.

WHAT SHELF-LIFE RESULTS CAN — AND CANNOT — TELL YOU

Shelf-life results apply to the product, packaging, storage conditions, testing intervals, and analyses included in the study.

A study cannot account for every possible condition the product may experience during manufacturing, shipping, retail display, consumer handling, or storage after opening.

The following may affect how the findings apply:

Formula or ingredient changes
Supplier changes
Processing changes
Packaging changes
Temperature abuse
Damaged or compromised packaging
Distribution conditions not represented in the study
Consumer handling after opening
Differences between production lots
The absence of a meaningful acceptance criterion

Laboratory testing is one part of shelf-life evaluation. The manufacturer should consider the complete product, process, packaging, safety assessment, sensory quality, distribution system, and intended consumer use when making final decisions.

WHAT TO TELL US BEFORE STARTING A STUDY.

When contacting Biotrax, be prepared to provide:

Product name and description.
Product type and formulation information relevant to the study.
Processing or preservation method.
Packaging type and package size.
Production date.
Proposed shelf life or date code.
Intended storage and distribution conditions.
Whether the product is refrigerated, frozen, ambient, or shelf stable.
The specific question the study should address.
Known spoilage or quality concerns.
Internal or customer specifications.
Requested microbiological or chemistry analyses.
The number of samples or product units available.
Whether real-time, accelerated, or comparative testing is being considered.

You do not need to design the entire study before contacting us. Sharing the product details and project objective gives our team a better starting point for discussing storage conditions, intervals, analyses, sample quantities and other relevant information.

LOOKING TO PLAN A SHELF-LIFE OR PRODUCT-QUALITY STUDY?

LET'S DISCUSS YOUR SHELF-LIFE TESTING NEEDS