保质期测试

为了遵守法规(当地), 状态, 以及联邦政府和零售商的要求, 产品种类繁多, 包括食品和饮料, 宠物食品和动物饲料, 补充, 营养药品等等, 必须经过保质期测试来确定保质期, 最佳日期, 以及销售日期.   

We'll help you ensure product 质量 and safety and determine shelf life for a variety of product types. im体育APP's full range of capabilities to help you make certain of your product’s stability over its entire shelf life. Our consultative scientists have years of experience testing products stored in a wide range of 包装, 包括冻干, 真空包装(真空烹调), 还原氧包装(ROP)和改性气氛包装.

考虑到可用的大量存储容量, a multitude of products and various storage conditions can be accommodated, 包括冷冻, 冷藏, 环境保质期研究. 加速保质期测试也可用, however accelerated conditions may kill the very spoilage bacteria the study is designed to detect. Our consultative scientists can help you determine whether accelerated conditions are right for your study. 有丰富的ISO经验, CTFA, 可口可乐美国农业部和食品药品管理局的协议, our bespoke shelf-life study programs are designed to meet the unique characteristics of each product tested, 以及监管要求. The following critical factors are typically considered when developing and tailoring shelf-life testing protocols:

• 微生物风险参数
• 变质指示生物
• 水活度和pH值
• 标签声明
• 酸败 

im体育APP优势

除了对上市产品的保质期进行研究, 包括食物和膳食补充剂, im体育APP also offers microbial challenge studies to better detail microbial risk or spoilage potential for new products going to the market.

To learn about our shelf life testing services, or to speak with one of our experts, im体育APP 今天.

食品保质期常见问题

什么是产品的“保质期”??

A food product’s shelf life is the period after processing and 包装 during which a product retains its sensory, 功能, 物理, and microbiological properties under normal/recommended storage conditions. All foods have a shelf life, and the length of “life” depends on storage conditions. 

为什么我需要对我的食品进行保质期研究? 

食物 shelf-life studies ensure customer satisfaction and brand protection. They also help food manufacturers understand how storage conditions affect the 质量 of the product over time, 除了提供有价值的数据给R&D小组进行配方改进.

Manufacturers provide date codes on their labels to help consumers and retailers decide when food is of best 质量. 婴儿配方奶粉除外, dates are not an indicator of the product’s safety and are not required by US federal law.

然而, 状态s can adopt the FDA 食物 Code which provides guidelines for retailers on shelf-life limits of in-store produced products. 《im体育APP》规定，零售商销售的食品生产, 打包, held and distributed by a federally inspected facility can use what is on the product label as the shelf life of those products. If the retailer opens these products to use for in-store made products (e.g., 即食熟食及冰沙), 这些食品的保质期有更严格的限制. There are also governmental requirements in many other countries such as the UK, 欧洲, 澳大利亚, 和新西兰.

保质期研究告诉我什么?

A shelf-life study tells you at what point in time (at a set storage temperature) your product no longer is acceptable. 此外, 一项精心设计的保质期研究表明你的产品是否, 作为制定, meets or exceeds your company’s standards and the expectations of customers for high-质量 products.

A shelf-life study also provides information about how a product changes 物理ly, 化学, and microbiologically over time – all of which can affect the sensory 质量 of a product.

Can I tell if a food product is safe by completing a shelf-life study?

大多数保质期研究的目的是表明食品的变质程度，而不是安全性. Many products will spoil before they become potentially unsafe from pathogen growth. 变质的细菌, 酵母和霉菌与病原体争夺营养, 减少生长和潜在毒素形成的可能性(例如.e.肉毒杆菌毒素). Spoilage of food can have a negative economic impact on the sale of food products and has the potential to damage brand reputation.

食物 manufacturers implement strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and 食物 Safety Plans (FSPs) that address potential pathogen contamination, 大大降低潜在食物中毒的风险.

我什么时候需要进行保质期研究?

食品保质期研究需要完成:

• 当一种新产品被开发出来时;
• When an existing product has been reformulated or a change in the process;
• 当当前的保质期延长时，和/或
• 当现有的保质期需要验证时.

在食品保质期研究中我需要测试什么?

需要测试什么取决于产品和储存条件. A 知识渊博的食品微生物学家 能帮助确定最合适的测试吗. 通常，保质期研究测试的是腐败生物体:

• 有氧平板计数(APC) -整体加工和产品质量的一般指标.
• 总大肠菌群计数/E. 杆菌 – An indicator of proper processing and product handling after processing (e.g., using cleaned and sanitized equipment, gloved hands, immediate refrigeration/freezing storage, etc.).
• 酵母和霉菌 -许多易腐食品的变质指标(例如.g.，水果和蔬菜，加工肉类和象棋，面包等.).
• 嗜冷平板计数 – Psychrotrophic bacteria only grow at 冷藏 temperatures and lead to product spoilage.
• pH – A measurement of how acidic a product is, which influences food safety and 质量. The growth of foodborne pathogens can be prevented when acidity levels are sufficient.
• 水活度(法律) – Determines how much free how much free available water is present in food for microbial growth. 低水分活动的食物包括饼干, 饼干, 和香料，而水分活度高的食物包括牛奶, 新鲜水果和蔬菜.

我怎样才能最大限度地延长我的食品的保质期?

通过以下方法，可以最大限度地延长食品的保质期:

• 选用优质原料;
• 使用加工过的成分以确保产品安全(例如.g.用巴氏消毒鸡蛋代替生鸡蛋);
• 将产品酸化至4以下.6 (e.g.，加醋);
• 减少微生物生长的可用水量, 由水活度(aw)测量, 到0以下.85. 这可以通过添加盐，糖或干燥(如)来完成.g.牛肉干);
• 添加苯甲酸钾等防腐剂来控制霉菌;
• 冷藏易腐产品，和/或
• 进行巴氏消毒, 烹饪, 干燥, 高压巴氏灭菌, 和/或在密封容器中进行热加工.g..(罐头、瓶子和小袋).

“最迟卖出”和“最迟卖出”的陈述有什么区别? 

“卖了” 通常在产品“微生物敏感”时使用." These products have been formulated without preservatives and have a more neutral pH and high-water activity, 让潜在的病原体和腐败细菌滋生. Examples include dairy products, ready-to-eat (RTE) prepared deli salads, sandwiches, and the like.

“最佳的” 标签是在产品的安全配方上找到的. 这些食物不被认为是“微生物敏感的”, 如果消费者在过期后继续使用该产品呢, 可能会注意到质量的下降. 例如香料、面包、硬奶酪等.

确定标签要求时, it is important to check with local and 状态 regulations to ensure compliance.

我应该在哪里进行食品保质期研究? 

Chemistry and microbiological studies should be conducted by a well-trained, ISO 17025认证实验室. 保持联系 今天和im体育APP的食品专家一起.