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A product’s shelf life is how long the product remains free from pathogens and of optimum quality for consumption. Many factors affect how long a product can remain free from microbes, reducing its quality and making it unfit for consumption.
Manufacturers are bound by law to ensure that products within their shelf life and under recommended storage conditions remain high quality. Giving an earlier shelf life increases the manufacturers’ production cost while providing a later date allows consumers to purchase products that are not fit for consumption.
The only way for manufacturers to accurately determine a product’s shelf life is by carrying out scientific tests in a microbiology laboratory. So how do they determine how long the product can be on the shelf without going bad, all factors considered?
Shelf Life Physical Trials
Sometimes the answer to a question is usually the simplest. To tell how long a product will take before going bad, you need to observe. In this method, scientists observe the product in the same physical manufacturing and storage conditions it will face while on the shelf.
The scientists will look for any physical changes, strange smells, or microbial activity in the product. This will help them understand how the product will behave on the shelf. It will represent how long a product will remain viable but not a very accurate one. This method does not consider that the conditions will not always stay the same. Storage conditions will defer according to stores and their geological location.
This direct method only considers the existing microbes in the product but does not account for the potential for the growth of pathogens. A microbiology laboratory can carry out such tests.
Microbial Challenge Testing
The microbial challenge testing determines the What if in a product. The tests carried out in the microbial laboratory involve adding suspected pathogens into the food and leaving it in its storage conditions to see if it will survive. To reduce the testing parameters, scientists carry out math tests and eliminate pathogens that will find it impossible to survive in the storage conditions. Only pathogens that have passed the math test will make it to challenge testing.
Challenge testing is good but cannot predict the product’s shelf life independently. The product is put under controlled laboratory conditions. This method only seeks to know if the pathogen can affect the food but not independently and accurately predict its shelf life.
Predictive Microbiology
Like the previous method, the product is tested in a microbiology laboratory. The test seeks to tell the different microbial reactions to various environmental conditions. It is done to understand the effect of microorganisms on the product on the shelf. The method focuses more on the pathogen and its impact on the product under different conditions. It does not consider the changes a product undergoes while on the shelf.
The method is also flawed as it doesn’t carry out the tests, but rather it uses mathematical and statistical methods to have a rough behavioral prediction of the microorganisms. The test is mainly carried out on new products before they are introduced.
Accelerating Tests
You require a lot of time to wait as you observe the changes a product undergoes under shelf life conditions. Many manufacturers don’t have enough finances to wait out the test. In a microbiology laboratory, you can accelerate the product’s storage conditions. You get to observe how the product reacts, and you can get a predictive idea of the product’s shelf life.
The method modifies the storage temperature, moisture content, and oxygen pressure to accelerate the spoilage factors of the food. Accelerating these factors reduces the time needed, costs less, and is versatile. This method also makes it possible to alter the environmental conditions and predict when the product will go bad. It’s only flaw is that it gives a rough estimate and cannot accurately predict a product’s shelf life.
How do Scientific Methods Work?
Most of the methods mentioned above require a microbiology laboratory to determine a product’s shelf life. These methods depend on scientific tools that can help manufacturers tell when their product will go bad or even identify how to keep it fresh for longer. The type of product and method used determines the type of tools. They aid in giving a more accurate estimate of the food’s shelf life.
Imaging
During observations, you will use your eyes to observe the product’s changes. Although still good, it’s not as accurate as it only gives the outside representation. One cannot tell if the food has already spoilt inside while the outside still looks great. Imaging from spectral cameras visualizes what is happening on the inside. It gives an accurate observable estimate of when a product goes bad.
Monitoring Temperature
Biological activities produce heat. Scientists check the temperature of the food or product to tell if a microbiological activity is taking place. The temperature needs to be taken over time to measure the changes and tell when the activities started and how long it took before the product spoilt.
Conclusion
The accurate prediction of a product’s shelf life is a process that involves several tests. Most of these tests need to be done in a microbial laboratory where the conditions are controlled, and it is easy to monitor the changes. Scientists and manufacturers consider all the conditions that can affect the shelf life before giving it an expiry or sell-by date.
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