Shelf-Life Testing
Shelf-Life Testing
Shelf-life testing begins with a meeting with a food scientist to plan the test tailored to your product.
CSU Spur’s food scientists will help you determine the right type of test, the number of samples, and how to prepare them. When we have finished testing, we’ll produce a report showing our official recommendation for the shelf-life of your product.
Request Shelf-Life Testing
To request Shelf-Life Testing, please visit the Request Services and Document Submission tab. Follow instructions on the downloadable Shelf-Life Testing Request Form and submit the documents, then wait for a team member to reach out.
What is Shelf-Life Testing?
In most shelf-stable foods, food safety is controlled by pH, water activity, or packaging environment. In these products, food quality deteriorates before food safety is compromised. For this reason, shelf-life testing is performed to measure food quality, not food safety. Shelf-life testing determines how much time passes before a food product’s quality deteriorates enough that it should no longer be sold or consumed. This helps retailers ensure they are selling fresh and high-quality products, and it helps customers be confident that the food they consume is within spec and on-brand. CSU Spur performs standard quality-focused shelf-life testing using a trained panel of food scientists.
Many high-risk foods (e.g. a ready-to-eat ham and cheese sandwich) are not rendered safe by pH, water activity, or packaging and must be held in a temperature-controlled environment to preserve freshness. In these foods, a microbial challenge test is used to determine how microorganisms proliferate over time to determine how long they are safe to eat. CSU Spur does not perform challenge testing.
Overview of Services
Real-time shelf-life testing (RTSLT) is like watching your shelf-life test in a slow-motion movie. This type of test monitors how long your product stays good under the product’s normal storage conditions. You’ll need to wait as long as the product’s expected shelf-life—months or years for some products—to see if it meets expectations.
Accelerated shelf-life testing (ASLT) is like doing your shelf-life test in a time machine or watching it on fast-forward. ASLT speeds up aging by storing products in high temperature or humidity to quickly estimate their longevity. Food scientists apply a formula to predict the product’s actual shelf-life in normal storage. ASLT is suitable for many shelf-stable foods but seldom for frozen or refrigerated items.
DIY Shelf-Life Testing Guidance and Document Packet is a service packet that includes consulting and training with our food scientists teaching you how to conduct your own shelf-life testing on your product. You will get access to an electronic folder of documents that includes instructions, spreadsheets for tracking data, and survey forms for collecting data. During your consulting packet our food scientists will show you how to use these documents to assess the shelf life of your product.
Combined ASLT/RTSLT Testing offers the best mix of fast and reliable shelf-life data. We suggest doing both tests together, especially for products with a shelf-life of one year or more. By starting both tests simultaneously, you quickly gain an initial lifespan estimate to share with partners, while the RTSLT confirms this estimate over time.
Abuse Testing measures how many times a product can be mishandled before its quality worsens. This testing helps determine the best package sizes and informs consumers on proper handling. The specifics and costs of these tests vary per product and are decided after consultation with our team.
Services
More pricing information can be found here.
Real-Time Shelf-Life Testing
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Measures the time a product remains high-quality and within spec by storing it under standard conditions (does not test for safety)
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Number of samples depends on expected shelf-life
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Samples should be in final packaging (final labeling not required)
Accelerated Shelf-Life Testing
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Estimates the time a product remains high-quality and within spec by storing it at one or more elevated temperature conditions (does not test for safety)
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Number of samples depends on expected shelf-life
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Samples should be in final packaging (final labeling not required)
Combined Accelerated and Real-Time Shelf-Life Testing
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Uses Accelerated Testing to gain a rapid estimate of shelf-life, while simultaneously carrying out a Real-Time test to later refine accuracy of estimate (does not test for safety)
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Number of samples depends on expected shelf-life
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Samples should be in final packaging (final labeling not required)
Abuse Testing
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Tests the resilience of a product to patterns of storage abuse it might be exposed to during distribution, warehousing, or consumer use.
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Number of samples determined by consultation
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Samples should be in final packaging (final labeling not required)
DIY Shelf-Life Testing Guidance and Document Packet
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This is a service packet that includes consulting and training with our food scientists teaching you how to conduct your own shelf-life testing on your product. You will get access to an electronic folder of documents that includes instructions, spreadsheets for tracking data, and survey forms for collecting data. During your consulting packet our food scientists will show you how to use these documents to assess the shelf life of your product
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This service is not recommended for all product types
Check out these resources for more information:
A Comprehensive Guide to Conducting a Shelf-Life Study (SmartFood Safe)