Substantiation of the sell-by date of food products

Abstract

Objective of the Work. The overview of current methodical approaches for experimental substantiation of the sell-by date of food products. Methods and Materials. Data analysis of scientific literature and normative documents on methods of substantiation of the sell-by date of food products. Results and Discussion. Sell-by date is a period since product’s manufacture, during which it maintains its safety and quality (including nutritional value) within reasonably foreseeable conditions of storage, distribution and consumption. In the case of new products (recipes) introduction it is necessary to review the sell-by date, and its extending as the need arises. The main aspects of microbiological substantiation of the sell-by date of food products are considered. The identification of microbial hazard for particular product is the first phase of the work. The second phase of the work is to determine the kinetic parameters of precise microorganism’s accumulation to maximum permitted level within regulated and aggravated conditions of product’s storage. Conclusions. In the process of microbiological substantiation of the sell-by date of food products it should be taken into consideration the presence of leading pathogen and causative microorganisms of microbial spoilage, the initial contamination level, the lag phase duration of germ culture development, variations between strains, the kinetics of microorganisms’ accumulation within the product in real and aggravated storage conditions, the indetermination connected with biological nature of microorganisms and their inhomogeneous allocation within the product, the limitation for shortcut research methods (if applicable). The decision rule should be based on the consumer’s risk concept. Key Words: food products, sell-by date, substantiation, microbiological indicators.