Shelf Life Prediction Test

Table 4 Correlation Coefficients for Various Shelf-Life Prediction Tests...

Shelf-life prediction test Correlation coefficient (predicted vs. actual)... 

SPME-MS-MVA has strong potential applications in the dairy industry for shelf-life prediction. Testing over a longer period of time and sampling from different production facilities should be conducted to confirm the accuracy of this new test as a predictor of shelf life. With a SPME autoinjector and minor test modifications, it would be possible to analyze one sample every five to seven minutes. The only labor required by the QC technician would be to pipette 3 mL of milk into a GC vial. 

A simple, rapid, and sensitive sample preparation technique such as SPME and applying GC/MS in a nontraditional way are the basis of this new shelf-life prediction test for milk. This approach could be extended to many other types of important quality control applications in the food industry as well as in other industries. 

Yoshioka S, Aso Y, Izutsu K, Terao T. Application of accelerated testing to shelf-life prediction of commercial protein preparations. J Pharm Sci 1994 83 454-456. 

The acceleration factor. A, is based on the Arrhenius equation. Statistical tests indicated that the use of this equation was appropriate in this case. Shelf life predictions were also verified by real-time stability testing results. 

Figure 13 shows a plot of predicted shelf life versus actual shelf life (based on sensory testing) for the 64 samples used to prepare the PLS model for reduced-fat milk. Table 3 shows PLS statistics for the PLS shelf-life prediction model and the PLS predictions of Model Validation Subset samples. 

There is a practical distinction between pharmacopoeia standards and manufacturers release specifications, although both comprise sets of tests to which a given product should conform. Release specifications are applied at the time of manufacture of a pharmaceutical product to confirm its appropriate quality but they also need to have a predictive value, to support the notion that the manufacturer is responsible for the product during its entire shelf-life. In many cases pharmacopoeial monographs are based on the specifications developed by the manufacturers of innovator (originator) products. 

The oil stability index (OSI) method provides results in a matter of hours instead of months (required for studies done at ambient temperatures). These OSI results are useful as comparative measures of oxidative stability, i.e., to determine the effect of a treatment or antioxidant compared to a control sample. Meaningful predictions of the actual shelf lives of specific commodities require that such shelf life studies be performed at ambient conditions. If only accelerated tests are to be performed, two or more tests based on different principles of lipid oxidation measurement should be conducted the effect of accelerated storage temperature should also be investigated. 

In thermal stability studies, accelerated testing at elevated temperatures is used to minimize the time needed to assess the thermal stability of the substance/ product. From the Arrhenius plot, one can predict the shelf life of the product at a proposed storage temperature. 

Shelf stability test Shelf life is predicted by the active oxygen method (AOM). The fat or oil is subjected to an accelerated oxidation test under standardized conditions so that the signs of deterioration are revealed within several hours or days. The sample is heated at 97.8°C while air is blown through it. The AOM value is reported as the number of hours to reach a peroxide value of 100 meq/kg. 

Factors influencing drug stability 1 13 Stability testing and prediction of shelf-life 127 Summary 136... 

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