Shelf life Validation Low aW - Ambient RTE Inclusions
Hello Everyone,
I was wondering if someone could please help me!
The products manufactured historically at a site are a variety of inclusions used for further process. Some are used in an RTE function (such as toppings for desserts) and some are heat treated once received by the customer.
The products and the site as a whole is low risk, down to the four main inclusion types being heat treated to very high temperatures (>120°c) and have very low aW <5%. Heat treatment also isn't highlighted as a CCP due to the materials used to manufacture the product being stable/low risk/long life and with receiving a COA for each batch.
However I have a bit of a wall regarding finding historic information to justify shelf life (between 6-12 months) I know this is partly given due to raw material shelf life, but I think along the lines that we are changing the storage and configuration of the materials due to the heat treatment/general process as a whole. There are no issues with micro or any organoleptic attributes in relation to shelf life, so I do think the range is correct. Although conscious I need to write this up as a report/justification to support the HACCP.
Is there any guidance out there to help with determining shelf life on ambient products with low aW/High sugar content?
Many Thanks,
A :thumbup:
What is the actual limiting factor for your products?
At such low aw you shouldn't have any concerns with microbiological spoilage, so is there some degree of (possibly slow) organoleptic degradation that gives an effective limit?
Have you done any surveys of similar products on the market? It's a bit woolly and I wouldn't suggest it as an approach for anything limited by microbiological factors, but "industry practice" isn't unheard of as a basis for setting the life for some types of food.
Do you have any monitoring data of your own (e.g. via taste panel at start/mid/end of life or similar) that could form the basis for the validation?
Hello Everyone,
I was wondering if someone could please help me!
The products manufactured historically at a site are a variety of inclusions used for further process. Some are used in an RTE function (such as toppings for desserts) and some are heat treated once received by the customer.
The products and the site as a whole is low risk, down to the four main inclusion types being heat treated to very high temperatures (>120°c) and have very low aW <5%. Heat treatment also isn't highlighted as a CCP due to the materials used to manufacture the product being stable/low risk/long life and with receiving a COA for each batch.
However I have a bit of a wall regarding finding historic information to justify shelf life (between 6-12 months) I know this is partly given due to raw material shelf life, but I think along the lines that we are changing the storage and configuration of the materials due to the heat treatment/general process as a whole. There are no issues with micro or any organoleptic attributes in relation to shelf life, so I do think the range is correct. Although conscious I need to write this up as a report/justification to support the HACCP.
Is there any guidance out there to help with determining shelf life on ambient products with low aW/High sugar content?
Many Thanks,
A :thumbup:
Hi areb,
Shelf-life is the period of time corresponding, under certain conditions, to an acceptable reduction in the Quality of foods (where "Quality" is interpreted in its most general sense).
There are three main factors that influence shelf life: microbial properties, chemical changes, and physical deterioration.
The previous post specifies yr initial requirement - determining the relevant characteristic/criterion (X) for acceptability.
Experimental estimations of shelf life are then based on measurements of X using (textbook/Literature) direct or indirect methods. Alternatively, Predictive methods are also available.
I have not seen any generic compilation of shelf lives vs water activity.
Just as an example, a possible Predictive method for the determination of shelf-life for low water activity food products is given in attached file (para 2.4 et seq). This is based on a moisture-related criterion.
Modelling Shelf- life Acccording to Water Activity.pdf 817.58KB 63 downloads
(Caveat, sort of heavy-duty ! :smile: )