Domain 3 - Storage Study

Storage study

In Domain 3, I have learned the importance and the processes of conducting a storage study in order to know how long does the product can stand in a commercial shelf life and to prolong the shelf life of the product. Factors such as the food manufacturing process, the packaging material used to pack the food product and also to conduct a HACCP analysis is done to analyse the shelf life of the product.

Storage study terms to remember :

1) Storage study is the study of the shelf life of a product in the commercialised product. It is a way to get an idea about the shelf life of the product at the certain condition to determine the expiry date of the product labelled. It also shows the product deterioration possibilities during storage duration. At the same time, a sensory evaluation and physical test such as Brix value, pH value, the viscosity and also the water activity will be tested to observed whether there are any changes in the quality of the product. The objective of the storage study is to examine the condition of the commercial product that would allow safe storage of the commercial product in the type of packaging used and also in the storage condition. In addition. it is also to check whether any of the manufacturing processes would also affect the storage study.
For example, storing the product for 4 weeks to see any changes in the product appearance:

  

2) The packaging material used is an important factor influencing the shelf life of the product. As packaging material is often used to protect the food from any harm, it also helps to preserve the food in the packaging material. When a packaging material is chosen, the packaging material should be inspected with is suitability, durability, safety, convenience, pricing and also the feasibility during production and processing during manufacturing. It has to meet the product requirement in order to protect and preserve and also to attract customer to buy the product.

3) The manufacturing flow is the process of preparing the products. It is a process flow of methods in producing the product. It starts by receiving of the raw ingredients, string, preparing the product, labelling, storing of the product and distribution.

4) HACCP Plan Is a system that analyses the Critical Control Point (CCP) in the food processing and manufacturing system. Is not a stand-alone system but relies on the management commitment and a solid foundation of prerequisite programs such as GMP, GHP and other relevant Codes of Practice. The objective of a HACCP plan is to let our customer ensure that the product has received a safe and hygienic product, assure every process that took place in company follows the food safety regulations and also to implement and maintain HACCP and GMP disciplines within entire processes of production.

The HACCP analyses can be conducted by analysing the manufacturing process flowchart to identify the critical control point of the product.

In this domain, I have conducted all the processes mentioned in order to observe and acquire the shelf life of the product. I feel that it is important to analyze properly each step taken in order to avoid any mistake during storage study. This is because it assures the customer's safetiness in consuming the product that we have made.