How to Determine the Shelf Life of Food

food science

How to Determine the Shelf Life of Food

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This guidance document is intended to help food operators who process, prepare and handle food to
determine the shelf life of their food products and to apply appropriate date marking. It describes:

  • how shelf life is defined;
  • the causes of food deterioration and spoilage;
  • why food may become unsafe during storage;
  • how to decide whether a ‘best-before’ or ‘use-by’ date mark is required;
  • the information needed to work out what the shelf life is; and
  • how to ensure the safety of chilled foods.
    The shelf life of many foods can be extended through various means including chilled storage. Low
    temperatures slow down chemical changes and growth of many spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) and any toxin formation. However some pathogenic bacteria are able to grow at the low temperatures used for refrigeration and chilled storage. These are referred to as cold-tolerant bacteria.

The type and length of storage may provide the suitable conditions and time for the cold-tolerant bacteria to grow in number so that the food becomes unsafe after a period of time, even if low numbers are present after manufacture. This will impact on the shelf life and safety of the food especially where the food is considered to be ready-to-eat. Ready-to-eat foods are those foods where there is no further processing that will reduce or eliminate harmful microorganisms before consumption.
The focus of this guidance document is therefore on determining the shelf life of chilled ready-to-eat foods.

This guidance document may provide some useful information for manufacturers and processors of other foods.

In this guidance document for any references to sections included refer to sections in this guidance document unless it is otherwise stated.

how-to-determine-shelf-life-food-guidance.pdf (1.2 MB)

Resource.
Ministry for Primary Industries
https://www.mpi.govt.nz/

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Thoughts on the future of 3D food printing?

food science

Thoughts on the future of 3D food printing?

I’m currently doing my thesis project on assessing consumer perceptions of 3D printed foods. How do you think of 3D food printing and what do you think the future of it will be? Would love to hear from other food scientists!

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Research paper 1

food science

Research paper 1

Hi my field is food engineering and I got an offer to publish paper in market field topic is coutomer behavior in covid 19 but it is related to resturant, what do you think is this topic related to my field. Will it help me to get admission in phd of my own field or it is worthless to put effort and pay.
Waiting for your kind suggestions

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Determine drying kinetic

food science

Determine drying kinetic

Can everyone teach us to determine drying kinetic of product? We have weight of product versus time and also Moisture content versus time. How to determine mathematical modelling like page equation, Newtown model, and Henderson and pabis model ?
how to calculate draying rate?

Could you please teach us step by step instructions

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Career help

food science

Career help

Though I’m just a student till now and each & everyone on this platform is more experienced than me, I would like to ask from everyone in this group that what are some activities that can I do besides my academics in food science and nutrition to ensure a better career in Nutrition and research field.

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