How is the shelf life of food calculated? – 04/15/2024 – Food

Anvisa, the National Health Surveillance Agency, defines the expiration date as “the period of time in which the food remains safe and suitable for consumption, as long as it is stored in accordance with the conditions established by the manufacturer”.

It is up to the manufacturer to inform the validity of their product and be responsible for the information. Some categories, however, are exempt from this obligation. This is the case with fresh fruits and vegetables, alcoholic beverages and candy and gum, for example.

The deadline starts from the moment the product was manufactured or prepared, and must be visible on the packaging. But few people know what he really means.

To begin with, foods that have passed their expiration date, the famous “expired”, are not necessarily spoiled.

“Many people understand that expiration date is the limit at which good food becomes dangerous to health. In fact, it only establishes the period in which the product can maintain its original characteristics of color, odor, texture and flavor”, he explains. Edison Triboli, professor of the food shelf life discipline, on the food engineering course at Instituto Mauá.

A good example is breakfast cereals. “What characterizes this product is its crunchiness. After the expiration date, the cereal tends to soften, and the consumer has the right, guaranteed by law, to purchase the product with its original characteristics. But this does not mean that it is spoiled. “

A complete study to establish the shelf life of a food is time-consuming and complex. In the three Senai-SP units that provide this service (Campinas, Marília and Barra Funda), 15 of them are currently underway.

In the traditional format, product samples are left at room temperature or in the refrigerator, as recommended by the manufacturer, and evaluated day by day.

Microbiological analyzes are complemented by sensory panels — trained professionals, following standardized protocols, smell, handle and taste the food, record their impressions and give notes.

Such analysis must be ordered before the product is launched, as registration for marketing by Anvisa depends on it — and manufacturers are usually in a hurry at this stage. Therefore, accelerated studies are common, which can shorten analysis time by half.

“In a chamber that changes environmental conditions, we stress the food simulating the passage of time”, explains Viviane Cremaschi Lima, industry relations coordinator at Senai-SP.

Shelf life studies are not cheap. Depending on the number of parameters to be analyzed and the duration, they range from R$2,000 to R$10,000.

The budget becomes heavy when you consider that each product in the portfolio must be studied individually – all it takes is a different ingredient for the food degradation process to occur differently, altering the shelf life.

Director of operations at Nuu Alimentos, Júlia Dabés says that the frozen cheese bread factory pays R$2,000 for each accelerated shelf life study – the problem is that the brand already has 32 items in its portfolio.

“The traditional study would cost less, but we always opt for the accelerated one, because we need to launch the products quickly”, she explains. “Our items last six months, we couldn’t wait that long for each result.”

It is not difficult to imagine that most micro and small food manufacturers do not have the resources to finance a shelf life study. Therefore, according to Triboli, the practice of copying the deadline for similar products is internationally accepted.

“If a large company paid to reach that conclusion, it’s okay for the small producer to copy that deadline that has already been given”, he explains.

It’s not a matter of course. Ordinance 2619/11, published by the São Paulo Municipal Health Department, lists parameters for chilled foods. Milk and dairy products, states the document, have a shelf life of five days, as long as they are kept at a maximum of 7º C. For eggs, the expiration date is seven days, if stored at up to 10º C.

The website StillTasty.com, says the professor, is also a good guide – the content, in English, lists the expiration dates of hundreds of foods.

Milk, according to Triboli, is the item that spoils the fastest, but the same does not apply to long-life milk from cartons. “It only loses its validity due to chemical reactions that coagulate the product after a while. But there is no risk to health. If the milk came out of the factory perfect, no bacteria will grow inside”, he explains.

What should you do, therefore, when faced with an expired product, but which still looks good? If it’s on the supermarket shelf, don’t buy it – the law prohibits retailers from selling food that has passed its expiration date.

Now, if the product is already at home, in the pantry or in the refrigerator, it’s worth trusting your own senses, says Triboli. “People are losing confidence in their sense of smell, vision and taste. If you know the characteristics of that product and know that they are unchanged, I see no problem consuming it.”

Following consumption recommendations after opening the packaging and storing food correctly are extra precautions that help to extend its shelf life.

Empea consultancy, a junior company linked to the food engineering course at the State University of Maringá, created the following guide

See below the recommendations for extending the shelf life of food

Non-perishable
Dry products such as rice, beans, pasta, coffee and flour must be stored in a cool, dry place, protected from sunlight, in their original packaging or, once opened, in hermetically sealed containers.

Fruit and vegetable
After sanitizing fruits and vegetables in a sanitizing solution (1 tablespoon of bleach for each liter of water) for 15 minutes, store them in the lowest part of the refrigerator, where the temperature is highest, so that they do not burn. the cold. There are exceptions: apples, pears, melons, bananas, potatoes, onions, cucumbers and garlic do not go in the refrigerator – it is better to store them in a dry and cool place, protected from light.

Meat
Keep in the coldest part of the refrigerator, in deep containers that contain your liquids, so that they do not contaminate the environment. Beef and pork should be consumed within three days and poultry within two days.

Dairy
Always in the refrigerator, in tightly closed containers, with the exception of mature cheeses that do not require refrigeration.

Breads
They last longer when well packaged and stored in the refrigerator.

Eggs
The refrigerator guarantees a longer useful life, but the door is not the appropriate place, due to the temperature variation. Choose a more stable place.