Shelf-Life Studies
Establishing the Shelf Life of your product is essential for ensuring that your customers receive the best quality and safety, even when they save their favorite food to enjoy later.
Our expert team considers every aspect of your product and designs shelf-life studies optimized for quality and cost. We evaluate products against both domestic and international guidelines, ensuring the highest quality and product safety.
Working with you, we ensure that the testing performed will provide an accurate picture of the quality of your product over time. This may include sensory analysis, microbiological testing, and chemical testing for product quality parameters.
Food Microbiology Testing
| 3M Petrifilm™ Methods | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| Aerobic Plate Count | AOAC 986.33, 989.10, or 990.12 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Coliforms | AOAC 991.14 | 2 Days | 25g |
| E. coli / coliforms | AOAC 991.14 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Enterobacteriaceae | AOAC 2003.01 | 1 Days | 25g |
| Lactic Acid Bacteria | AOAC RI 041701 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Staphylococcus aureus | AOAC 2003.07, 2003.08, 2003.11 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Rapid Methods | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| Rapid Aerobic Plate Count | AOAC 2015.13 | 1 Day | 25g |
| Rapid E. coli/coliforms | AOAC 2018.13 | 1 Day | 25g |
| Rapid Yeast and Mold | AOAC 2014.05 (Petrifilm) | 2 Days | 25g |
| Pour and Spread Plate Methods | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| Aerobic Plate Count | FDA BAM Ch. 3 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Bacillus cereus | FDA BAM Ch. 14 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Clostridium perfringens | FDA BAM Ch. 16 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Coagulase-Positive Staphylococcus | FDA BAM Ch. 12 | 2 Days | 25g |
| Staphylococcus aureus | FDA BAM Ch. 12 | 2 Days | 25g |
| E.coli / Coliforms MPN (Food) | FDA BAM Ch. 4 | 7 Days | 25g |
| E.coli / Coliforms (Food) | FDA BAM Ch. 4 (VRBG-MUG) | 1 Day | 25g |
| Mold | FDA BAM Ch. 18 | 5-7 Days | 25g |
| Yeast | FDA BAM Ch. 18 | 5-7 Days | 25g |
| Yeast and Mold | FDA BAM Ch. 18 | 5-7 Days | 25g |
| Pathogens | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| Campylobacter | AOAC RI 111803 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| E. coli O157:H7 | AOAC 2017.01 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| E. coli stx1 / stx2 | AOAC RI 071903 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| E. coli stx1 / stx2 | AOAC RI 071902 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| Listeria monocytogenes | AOAC 2016.08 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| Listeria Spp. | AOAC 2016.07 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| Salmonella (375g) | AOAC 2016.01 (MDS) | 1 Day | 375g |
| Salmonella | AOAC 2016.01 (MDS) | 1 Day | 25g |
| Environmental / Process Water | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| E. coli in 100 mL (Water; MPN) | AOAC 991.15 (Colilert) | 1 Day | 100 mL |
| Coliforms in 100 mL (Water; MPN) | AOAC 991.15 (Colilert) | 1 Day | 100 mL |
| E. coli / coliforms in 100 mL (Water; MPN) | AOAC 991.15 (Colilert) | 1 Day | 100 mL |
| E. coli in 100 mL (Water; P/A) | AOAC 991.15 (Colilert) | 1 Day | 100 mL |
| Coliforms in 100 mL (Water; P/A) | AOAC 991.15 (Colilert) | 1 Day | 100 mL |
| E. coli / coliforms in 100 mL (Water; P/A) | AOAC 991.15 (Colilert) | 1 Day | 100 mL |
| Heterotrophic Plate Count | 9215 C SMEWW 23rd Ed. | 3 Days | 100 mL |
| Micro Environmental Air Monitoring | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| Aerobic Plate Count (SMA Agar) | FDA BAM Ch 3 | 2 Days | Plate |
| Yeast & Mold (DRBC Agar) | FDA BAM Ch.18 | 5-7 Days | Plate |
| Micro Environmental Surface Monitoring | |||
| Analysis | Method | TAT | Sample |
| Aerobic Plate Count | AOAC 990.12 | 2 Days | Sponge/Swab |
| Coliforms | AOAC 991.14 | 2 Days | Sponge/Swab |
| E. coli / coliforms | AOAC 991.14 | 2 Days | Sponge/Swab |
| Enterobacteriaceae | AOAC 2003.01 | 1 Day | Sponge/Swab |
| Lactic Acid Bacteria | AOAC RI 041701 | 2 Days | Sponge/Swab |
| Staphylococcus aureus | AOAC 2003.07, 2003.08, 2003.11 | 2 Days | Sponge/Swab |
| E. coli O157:H7 | AOAC 2017.01 (MDS) | 1 Day | Sponge/Swab |
| Listeria monocytogenes | AOAC 2016.08 (MDS) | 1 Day | Sponge/Swab |
| Listeria Spp. | AOAC 2016.07 (MDS) | 1 Day | Sponge/Swab |
| Salmonella | AOAC 2016.01 (MDS) | 1 Day | Sponge/Swab |