Shelf-life determination of your product can be quite complicated. Shelf-life has many components, but can be broken down into three main categories:
microbiological
chemical
organoleptic (sensory characteristics)
To do a testing: You must set aside enough product so that you can periodically sample them for analysis. Once a sample is tested, it no longer can be used for shelf-life determination. How many samples you set aside for the shelf-life study depends on how long you believe the shelf-life may be and how frequently you want to sample. For example, lets say that you think your product may last two weeks and you want to sample the product every day - you would need to set aside 14 samples for each recipe. The more you sample, the greater confidence you will have in those results. It is always much easier to compare the older samples with a newer, fresh batch of samples. Therefore as you progress in the shelf-life study, it is suggested to periodically make new batches for comparison. When sampling your product, observe the following:
Microbiological
First use the water activity of the product to gauge the susceptibility of your product to microorganisms. Make sure to also consider yeast and mold susceptibility. Both of these will be very easy to see and/or smell. Mold will be quite obvious and will more than likely show evidence at or near the surface of the product. It may be various colors - white, yellow, green, etc. Yeast can be evident visually, usually white and glossy.
Chemical
The main chemical problems occur due to fats and oils. Fat will go rancid eventually and cause some off odors and flavors. However, this usually takes a couple of weeks at least to notice. Oxidation is another chemical reaction, as well as enzymatic browning which will cause your vegetables, for example, to turn brown and become soft. Staling is also a chemical reaction.
Sensory
You will be the best judge of this as you know what your products should taste and smell like. Taste the older samples against some new samples. If the taste or odor has changed so significantly that you no longer feel comfortable selling it then there is a good chance no one would want to buy it either.
Your shelf-life will then be the time in which one of these attributes (microbiological, chemical or sensory) has fallen below a level of acceptability. You may decide that you do not like the flavor or odor of a product or the product stales before you ever notice mold. Or vice versa, the product looks and smells fine but you notice mold growth. However, when one of the above
characteristics becomes substandard, do not exceed that time in shelf-life.
Shelf-life can change over a period of time because your processing area conditions may change. For instance, you may have greater mold spores in a hot kitchen during the summer. Therefore, your shelf-life may not be as good during the summer because certain items mold or stale faster. Or you change an ingredient manufacturer and that ingredient may shorten or extend your shelf-life. Therefore, you should consistently monitor your product over time for any changes. Concise and complete production records are necessary.
Here is also why you should have contact information on your product label for consumers to contact you. Consumers can be the best way of telling you something is wrong with your product. The time you receive the comment is equally important because that may tell you if you have a problem with the product at a certain time in the shelf-life. This is also why a manufacture date on your product will help. When you receive comments from consumers, ask them the manufacture date. You will then know the age of the product at the
time of the comment. You will also know the production date which may be a factor.
Remember, one consumer complaint may not show a trend, but several will. Phone or email contact will be easiest for the consumer, therefore these methods produce the most feedback.
When it comes to packaging, there is really not one criteria that needs to be met. Basically, the FDA and the Virginia Department of Agriculture will want your package to be sufficient enough to keep the product safe from microbial contamination and other pests. Packaging needs will change based on you desired goal. For instance, your package for direct retail may be something like a
paperboard box with a visual window because you are not necessarily trying to extend shelf-life too long, but you want a visual window so your clients see the product. However, when you try mail order, you may want to choose a sturdier package that may have some barrier characteristics that keep your products fresher for longer. What you choose will be based on what job you want your
package to perform - barrier from contamination, barrier from oxygen, barrier from water, visual appeal, etc. Usually, you try to choose a package with a balance of many characteristics. Unfortunately, these characteristics may work against each other. For instance, you want to have a plastic type window to allow your customer to visually see the product. This plastic may allow oxygen into the package and cause staling.
The best way to choose packaging is to first decide what you want of your package - to showcase your product, increase or maintain shelf-life, protect the product etc. Your desire for mail order, for instance, may drive you to increase the shelf-life of the product such that you can deliver the goods to your clients and they still have shelf-life left for eating. It is also suggested that you look in stores for package examples that you like.
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Today is:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
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