{"id":4867,"date":"2025-10-15T12:14:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T10:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/?p=4867"},"modified":"2025-10-15T12:14:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T10:14:07","slug":"shelf-life-studies-how-to-determine-the-proper-best-before-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/2025\/10\/15\/shelf-life-studies-how-to-determine-the-proper-best-before-date\/","title":{"rendered":"Shelf-life studies \u2013 how to determine the proper best-before date?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shelf life \u2013 why is it important?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shelf life is the date until which the food retains its characteristic properties if properly kept stored (Regulation on declaration, labeling and advertising of food, Official Gazette of RS”, No. 19\/2017, 16\/2018, 17\/2020, 118\/2020, 17\/2022, 23\/2022, 30\/2022 and 61\/2024 \u2013 other regulation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelf life is a fundamental attribute of all food products – from raw ingredients and semi-processed goods to final products. Each item must have a clearly defined expiration date, which can be influenced by producers, suppliers, and even end consumers. Cases in which it is not necessary to specify the expiration date are given in Annex 10 of the Rulebook on declaring, labeling and advertising food (mentioned above).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accurately determination of shelf life is essential for companies, as it helps minimize the chances of complaints and product recalls, while also enhancing consumer trust in the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal Framework \u2013 European Legislation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

European legislation does not have specific regulations on how to accurately determine a product\u2019s shelf-life. However, Article 14(1) of Regulation (EC) No 178\/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety <\/em>states that food which does not meet safety standards cannot be placed on the market. This places full responsibility on the manufacturer to ensure the safety and quality of the product throughout its stated shelf life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EFSA guidance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published guidelines for the food industry on determining shelf life. These guidelines include data from scientific literature, microbiological prediction models, shelf-life testings. The choice of method depends on the characteristics of the product and the capabilities of the manufacturer. However, shelf-life studies are most commonly used, as they allow monitoring of quality changes in the product during storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shelf-life study is also applied in the development of new products, implementation of new packaging, changes in the production process, changes in certain ingredients, or if it is noticed that the product does not change its basic sensor characteristics after the expiration date, and it is necessary to check other parameters that affect consumer safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard and accelerated tests<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shelf-life studies can be conducted in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– in real conditions, within and after the expected shelf life, where analyzes are performed at precisely defined intervals. This is applied for products with a shorter shelf life<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– in accelerated external conditions, with increased temperature, humidity and UV radiation. In this way, the shelf life is quickly estimated, but it needs to be checked by analysis in real conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common used model is testing under standard conditions, which can be conducted for almost all food groups. Alternatively, accelerated testing – known as “Accelerated shelf life testing (ASLT)” involves storing samples in climate chambers at a higher temperature and humidity than standard, simulating the aging process of the product. The method is based on van’t Hoff’s rule, according to which an increase in temperature by 10\u00b0C doubles the rate of chemical reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SP Laboratorija conducts the analysis of the shelf-life study in real conditions, while the analysis in accelerated conditions is applied in the laboratory of J.S. Hamilton in Poland, in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

climate chambers under conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 30\u00b0C and 65% relative humidity,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 40\u00b0C and 75% relative humidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The degree of acceleration is determined in relation to the standard storage conditions declared by the manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Controls during storage<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The number of controls during storage depends on the product’s shelf life. It is recommended to conduct at least 3\u20134 measurements, both in standard and accelerated shelf-life studies. For new products, where the rate of change is not well known, a greater number of checks is advisable – especially toward the end of the shelf life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing Accelerated Shelf-Life Testing (ASLT)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each ASLT study is developed individually and requires detailed product information\u2014such as water activity, pH level, fat content, presence of preservatives or additives and type of packaging. These studies enable faster shelf-life assessment but must always be validated under real storage conditions to ensure the reliability of the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method Limitations<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not all products are suitable for accelerated shelf-life testing. This method is not recommended for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– chilled and frozen foods<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– products with a shelf life shorter than 6 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– high-fat foods (due to the risk of rancidity)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– chocolate, jelly candies, and other products prone to deformation at increased temperatures<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– vitamin-enriched foods, as vitamins are highly sensitive to heat and humidity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experience of SP Laboratorija and J.S. Hamilton Poland<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

SP Laboratorija and J.S. Hamilton Poland have extensive experience in conducting shelf-life studies. Both accelerated and real-time tests are complex processes that require close cooperation between manufacturers and laboratories at all stages – from project design and analysis to final conclusions. It is essential to define the types of tests and the schedule for their execution. This process demands well-trained personnel with deep expertise in both laboratory work and food production processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our experts support manufacturers in project planning, test execution, and interpretation of results to ensure that consumers receive safe, high-quality products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact us!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shelf life \u2013 why is it important? Shelf life is the date until which the food retains its characteristic properties if properly kept stored (Regulation on declaration, labeling and advertising of food, Official Gazette of RS”, No. 19\/2017, 16\/2018, 17\/2020, 118\/2020, 17\/2022, 23\/2022, 30\/2022 and 61\/2024 \u2013 other regulation). Shelf life is a fundamental attribute […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vesti-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4867"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4868,"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4867\/revisions\/4868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splaboratorija.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}