Shelf Life Analysis
Shelf Life Analysis
When a consumer picks a food item from the shelf he/she would usually look out for the “use by” or “best before” date scribbled on the label of the food packet. Ever wondered how this date is determined?
Well, here comes analysts like us, who conduct a thorough shelf life analysis to determine how long the food would stay fresh and consumable under a particular set of circumstances. This study is vital for both consumers and manufacturers of the food items.
Testing of shelf life of a food item ensures its safety and quality, which includes chemical, physical, and sensorial aspects of the food. Shelf life studies can give vital information to manufacturers, as they would now know how long their product would be fit for consumption. The same holds true for the end user because, ultimately, they are the ones who will consume the product and provide you the feedback.
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Testing of shelf life study
Our team at Glarc, which is one of the largest integrated food testing and research facilities in India, conducts shelf life study to provide documented evidence to regulators and retailers about the product’s shelf life. It assures them that the food item will stay fresh, tasty, and fit for consumption with its nutritional value intact till the end of the ‘best before’ date of the unopened packet, if it is stored under appropriate conditions.
The conditions that the packet should be unopened and stored under appropriate situations are vital in the testing of shelf life study. This is because once the food packet is opened, it gets exposed to an array of external factors like humidity, temperature, dust particles, microbes, and so on. It is possible to regulate these factors in the manufacturing facility and while packaging the food; but once it leaves the facility and the packet is opened, the factors are hard to control.
Importance of shelf life study
Shelf life study can help to know how long a food item, when handled and stored normally, can maintain its quality, taste, nutritional value, and chemical, physical, and microbial properties. It also determines whether the product can meet the nutritional claims made by the manufacturer and printed on the label.
The testing of shelf life involves studying the intrinsic factors of the product. They include pH, water activity, formula, preservatives, packaging interactions, and so on.
We, at Glarc, offer independent and cost-effective research and analytical services, which include shelf life analysis. Our specialized team working in our certified lab promise 100% accuracy in results.