How shelf life or "best if used by" dates on food products are determined. A food testing laboratory's guide.

1. Organoleptic
Shelf Life Evaluations
Ivy Cho Lorenzo Puentes
Business Development Director Director of Product Performance
ivyc@abcr.com lorenzop@abcr.com

2. What does shelf life mean?
• It is the extent of time for
which a food remains
usable, fit for
consumption, or sellable
from manufacturing until
reaching the “best before
date”, “expiration date”,
or “use by date”.
– These terms all relate to the
quality of the food
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

3. Terms used to describe shelf life
• “best before date” or “expiration date”
– Where deterioration affects consumer
acceptance
• “use by date”
– The time period when foods are to be
eaten for health or safety reasons
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

4. Shelf life influencers
Growers/ Producers Other suppliers
Manufacturers
Distributors
Retailers
Consumers
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

5. Factors that affect the shelf life
• Moisture
• Water activity
• Fat/oil content
• Alcohol content
• Flavor loss
• Texture changes
• Color changes
• Acid content
• pH
• Light exposure
• Microbial spoilage
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

6. Types of shelf life evaluations
1. Accelerated
– This is applicable in shelf stable foods
where the storage temperature is
increased to accelerate time.
2. Real Time
– This is applicable in ambient,
refrigerated, and frozen foods where the
storage temperature is real time.
– Microbiological evaluations are
applicable in ambient and refrigerated
foods.
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

7. Accelerated shelf life
• Attempts to predict the
shelf life by use of
temperature chambers
to increase the rate of
deterioration.
• 100F chamber is used to
store liquids
– i.e. sauces
• 90F chamber is used to
store non-liquids
– i.e. spices
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

8. Types of organoleptic panels
• Affective Tests – Used to assess
consumer responses to products
• May be Qualitative
or Quantitative
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

9. Qualitative vs. Quantitative
• Qualitative – Used to evaluate consumer’s
feelings about a product
– Focus Groups
• Quantitative – Used to identify overall
preference or liking of a product or specific
attribute.
- Simple Preference Testing
- Ranking Tests
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

10. Acceptance Tests
• Likability Scales – 9 point hedonic
• Just About Right Scales otherwise
known as “JAR”
–Applicable for formulation changes
or product development stages
• Line Scale or Numerical Scales
• Food Action Rating Scales
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

11. Descriptive Analysis Testing
• Used to provide descriptions of the
sensory quality of foods
• Trained Panels
• Flavor Profiles
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

12. Real time shelf life
• Foods are stored under normal
conditions for a time length greater
than the expected shelf life to
determine the deterioration point.
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

13. What’s Next?
Stay tuned for
Microbiological
Shelf Life Evaluations
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations

14. Questions?
For additional
information, please
contact us at
352.372.0436 or visit our
website at abcr.com
Organoleptic Shelf Life Evaluations