Shelf life | EUROLAB

What Is Shelf Life?

A shelf life study is a planned monitoring study that determines how long the product remains safe and acceptable under declared storage conditions. Microbiological, chemical and sensory parameters are measured at regular intervals. A challenge test (artificial contamination) can also be applied to test whether the pathogen reproduces or not.

Purpose of Shelf Life

The aim is to base the expiry or recommended consumption date on the label on evidence. The legislation places the responsibility for determining the date on the food business operator; The study is the technical basis for this responsibility.

Which Products Is Shelf Life Applied To?

Ready-to-eat cold products
Dairy and meat products
Bakery products and ready meals
Products packaged in modified atmosphere
Beverages and sauces

In Which Sectors Is Shelf Life Used?

FoodDrinkAgricultureRetailYem

Standards Related to Shelf Life

ISO 20976-1 (general rules for challenge testing)
EU 2073/2005 Annex II (shelf life studies)
EFSA/EU Reference Laboratory Listeria shelf life guide
ISO 11290-2 (Listeria count — as monitoring parameter)

Shelf Life Conditions

Study type: Real-time monitoring, time-lapse or challenge testing
Storage condition: Temperature declared on the label; Additional temperature arm can be added for realistic worst case scenario
Parameters monitored: Microbiological load, pH, water activity, sensory evaluation and product-specific chemical indicators
Time points: Start, intermediate points and end of the declared period and a margin of safety

Equipment for Shelf Life

Analytical balance and homogenizer
Sample preparation apparatus (extraction, filtration, concentration)
Kromatografi veya spektrometri sistemi
Temperature controlled storage and conditioning cabinets

Sample Requirements for Shelf Life

The sample should be taken to be homogeneous and representative of the lot.
For analytes that are sensitive to light or oxygen, a dark colored and tightly closed container should be used.
The sample amount varies with the number of analytes; If more than one analysis is requested, the total amount increases.
The product name, list of ingredients and declared value, if any, must be provided with the sample.

Duration of Shelf Life

Real-time operation lasts at least as long as the declared shelf life; A margin of safety is added to this. The time-lapse study is shorter, but the result is an estimate and must be supported by real-time data.

Shelf Life Procedure

1The product, target shelf life and storage condition are defined.
2The parameters to be monitored and time points are planned.
3A sufficient number of samples are separated from the same batch and stored under the declared condition.
4Samples are drawn and analyzes performed at each planned time point.
5If necessary, challenge testing is carried out according to ISO 20976-1.
6The data is evaluated and reported on the basis of the shelf life decision.

Shelf Life Acceptance Criteria

The legislation, not the method, determines whether the result will be considered appropriate or not. The relevant communiqué of the Turkish Food Codex, EU 2073/2005 and 1881/2006 and the specification of the buyer company define different limits depending on the product group; The report gives the measured value and takes the limit from the applicable legislation.

Evaluation of Results

The shelf life is deemed to have ended when any of the monitored parameters exceeds the acceptability limit. The limit comes from the criteria in the legislation for microbiological parameters, and from the specification of the enterprise for sensory and chemical parameters. The decision is made with a margin of safety.

Shelf Life Report

Sample description, batch/lot information and arrival conditions
Sampling method (if taken by the laboratory)
Applied analysis method and reference standard
Analysis date and incubation conditions, if any
Result and its unit
Measurement uncertainty (if requested)
A statement that the result applies only to the specimen submitted for testing

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Turkish Food Codex Regulation and related product communiqués
EU 1881/2006 — maximum limits of contaminants in food
Turkish Food Codex Labeling and Consumer Information Regulation

Food Testing — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Shelf Life test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Food testing shows that a product is safe for consumption and contains what its label states. The family works along three axes: microbiological safety, chemical safety and nutritional composition. All three require different laboratory infrastructure, a different body of methods and a different turnaround time.

The most distinctive feature of the field is TIME PRESSURE. A steel specimen can wait on a shelf; a raw milk or fresh meat sample cannot. The time the sample was taken, the transport temperature and how long it takes to reach the laboratory directly determine the validity of the result. In food microbiology the cold chain record is therefore an inseparable part of the test report.

On the microbiological side there are two different questions and they must not be confused. DETECTION of a pathogen is a qualitative question: is Salmonella present in the sample or not? ENUMERATION of indicator organisms is a quantitative question and an indicator of production hygiene. The absence of a pathogen in a product does not show that hygiene is good; if the total mesophilic aerobic count is high, there is a problem in the process.

On the chemical side, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, additives, veterinary drug residues and process contaminants (acrylamide, furan, PAH) are measured. Multi-residue methods in this area (QuEChERS-based LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS) can screen hundreds of active substances in a single analysis; limits are defined separately for each product–substance pair.

On the composition side, protein, fat, moisture, ash, fibre, sugar profile, fatty acid composition, vitamin and mineral content are determined. These values are the basis of the nutrition declaration on the label and the tolerance ranges are defined in legislation — the difference between the declared value and the measured value must stay within that tolerance.

There is NO CE marking on food, and this shapes how the field works. Conformity is demonstrated through operating a HACCP-based food safety system, complying with labelling rules and not exceeding contaminant, residue and microbiological limits. A test result produces evidence not for a certificate but for a functioning system.

Allergen management carries particular weight. The presence of an undeclared allergen in a product is one of the most frequent causes of food recalls. Analysis here runs together with cleaning validation: it is shown that the line has been cleaned adequately after a production run containing an allergen and that the risk of cross-contamination is under control.

Voluntary schemes have become effectively mandatory in this field. Retail chains require their suppliers to hold a certificate under a GFSI-recognised scheme (BRCGS, IFS, FSSC 22000); without it, getting onto the shelf is practically impossible.

Method groups in this field

Pathogen detection
Detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter, Cronobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; culture-based and molecular methods.
Indicator counts
Total mesophilic aerobic count, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and E. coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, yeasts and moulds, lactic acid bacteria, sulphite-reducing Clostridia.
Pesticide and veterinary residues
Multi-residue screening by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS with QuEChERS extraction.
Mycotoxins and contaminants
Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, patulin; heavy metals (ICP-MS), acrylamide and PAH compounds.
Nutritional composition
Kjeldahl protein, fat and fatty acid profile, moisture, ash, dietary fibre, sugar profile, vitamin and mineral analyses.
Allergens and authenticity
Gluten, milk, egg, nut and soy allergen analyses; molecular methods for species identification and adulteration detection.

Commonly confused in this field

Sampling is half the result. A sample transported at the wrong temperature or delayed gives an invalid result even if it is analysed correctly in the laboratory.
The absence of a pathogen does not show that hygiene is good; indicator counts give separate information and the two are read together.
A result from a sample taken from a lot can be generalised to the whole lot only if the sampling plan was set up statistically.
Limits are defined in separate regulations by product group and are updated regularly; a conformity decision based on an outdated limit table may be wrong.
For exports, the limits of the destination country may differ from EU limits; the same product may be compliant in one market and non-compliant in another.

Which decisions these results support

Verification of the HACCP plan and process monitoring
The basis for the nutrition declaration and allergen information on the label
Health certificates before export and compliance with destination market limits
Supplier and lot-based acceptance control
Shelf-life studies and determining storage conditions
Producing evidence for audits under GFSI-recognised schemes

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Shelf Life

Is the accelerated study alone sufficient?

Not in most cases. The mechanism of accelerated deterioration at high temperature may not be the same as in the actual storage condition. Time-lapse data is a preliminary estimate; The final decision must be supported by real-time data.

Challenge testi ne zaman gerekir?

Required if it is unclear whether the product supports the growth of a pathogen during its shelf life. EU 2073/2005 specifically requires this assessment for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat products.