Carrying out stability and storage tests

Comprehensive testing options around the quality and shelf life of your products

Aug 2022. The Eurofins laboratories for food and feed testing in Germany are your competent partner for the design and performance of stability and storage tests. We offer you optimal conditions for testing your food, dietary supplements, feed, and pet food at various locations with several climate chambers, a broad portfolio of accredited analyses and many years of expertise.

Background: Storage tests and due diligence

For manufacturers and distributors of food and feed, the performance of stability and storage tests is becoming increasingly important as part of their duty of care. Rising temperatures in the summertime, long transport routes in fluctuating conditions or recipe changes due to a shortage of raw materials constantly present those responsible with new challenges – yet the declared best-before date and the stability of the products must still be guaranteed.

Testing under standardised storage conditions

In our laboratories, the storage conditions in terms of temperature and relative humidity are precisely set in climate chambers and are subject to only minimal fluctuations. This means that different climatic conditions can be optimally simulated. When selecting the storage conditions, we recommend an orientation towards the common standards, such as ISO 16779:2015, the ICH or IADSA guideline. The real-time storage described therein as well as stress tests or accelerated storage tests can be carried out in the climate chambers. In addition, the storage of chilled and frozen products in various cold rooms is also possible.

Recommended accompanying analysis

When carrying out stability and storage tests, sensory and microbiological analysis is generally recommended after each time the product is removed from storage. In addition, value-giving or advertised ingredients should also be analysed. Some of these may be (heat-) unstable and degrade during the storage period. For dietary supplements or fortified foods, we therefore advise analysing vitamins, fatty acids (e.g. DHA, EPA), amino acids, minerals, trace elements, nutritional values as well as other added nutrients or active substances. In the case of pet food, we recommend testing the nutritional values (according to Weende) and nutritional additives (e.g. vitamins, minerals, trace elements).

Have we aroused your interest?

If you would like to know more about stability and storage tests or would like to develop specific test strategies for your products with us, please feel free to contact your personal account manager or our expert Oliver Schwöbel directly.