Supplement Shelf-Life Testing

Ensuring the quality and safety of nutritional supplements throughout their intended shelf life is important for manufacturers who want to maintain consumer trust and comply with regulatory standards. Shelf-life testing is a critical component of quality assurance that assesses how long a product can be expected to maintain its safety, quality, and efficacy under specified storage conditions. Shelf-life testing can be accomplished in two different ways, standard real-time testing and accelerated testing. Both testing methods have advantages and limitations. 

Understanding Shelf-Life Testing

Shelf-life testing for nutritional supplements involves a series of tests to determine how the quality of a product changes over time with the influence of various environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light. The primary objective is to identify an expiration date and the recommended storage conditions to ensure maximum efficacy and safety when consumed by the end of this period.

Types of Shelf-Life Testing

• Real-Time Shelf-Life Testing: This method involves storing the product under recommended conditions and testing it at regular intervals to evaluate the stability of its ingredients. This standard method of shelf-life testing provides a real-time data point on how the product will age and is considered the most accurate method for determining the shelf life. It requires testing at several time intervals, such as at the three, six, nine, and twelve-month marks, depending on the expected lifespan of the product.

• Accelerated Shelf-Life Testing: This method is used to estimate the product's shelf life in a shorter amount of time. It involves exposing the product to elevated levels of stressors such as increased temperatures and humidity levels to speed up the aging process. The reactions that occur are monitored, and the data obtained is then extrapolated to predict how the product will age under normal storage conditions. This type of testing is particularly useful for predicting the shelf life of products in earlier stages of development or when quick results are needed for market launch.

If you opt for accelerated shelf-life testing, it is recommended to concurrently conduct a real-time shelf-life test as well. While accelerated testing can provide quicker insights into the potential longevity and stability of your product under stress conditions, most retailers and regulatory bodies prioritize the results from real-time testing due to its higher accuracy and relevance under normal usage conditions. Real-time testing tracks the product's stability under expected storage conditions over the actual duration it will be on shelves. Retailers are often willing to consider accelerated test results as preliminary or supplementary information that offers additional directional insight into the product's performance.

Why Conduct Shelf-Life Testing?

Shelf-life testing will determine the optimal life expectancy of your dietary supplement product. Although it is not specified in FDA regulations, having a best used by or expiration date on your product is often a requirement of retailers who want to ensure the quality, safety and freshness of products in their stores.

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensures that your product meets the stability requirements set by regulatory bodies.

• Consumer Safety: Helps guarantee that the product will remain safe and effective until the end of its shelf life.

• Brand Integrity: Protects the reputation of your brand by avoiding product recalls and consumer complaints due to quality degradation.

The RL Labs Approach to Shelf-Life Testing

At RL Labs, we combine our extensive industry knowledge with advanced testing methodologies to offer comprehensive supplement shelf-life testing services that include:

• Detailed Consultation: We start by understanding your product and its stability needs. This helps us tailor our testing processes to your specific requirements.

• Custom Testing Protocols: Whether you opt for standard or accelerated shelf-life testing, our protocols are designed to provide reliable and actionable data.

• Advanced Analytical Tools: We use state-of-the-art equipment to assess and monitor various parameters such as microbial stability, ingredient potency, and packaging integrity.

• Regulatory Guidance: Our team provides continuous support to ensure that your product complies with the latest industry regulations and standards.
  
  
• Documentation and Reporting: We provide detailed reports that help you make informed decisions about your product’s shelf life and storage guidelines.

It is highly recommended that a "real time shelf-life study" be conducted simultaneously for good reason. If during the accelerated testing there is a spike out of range for the product, the microbiologist can verify where exactly the spike occurred from real time sample testing. It may have occurred in week 3, which would be month 3, but the failure may really have occurred in month 4 from real time testing.

Shelf-life testing is an essential step in the development and marketing of safe, effective, and compliant nutritional supplements. At RL Labs, we are dedicated to helping you ensure that your products stand the test of time and meet the highest standards of quality and safety. Whether through standard or accelerated methods, our shelf-life testing services are designed to provide you with the confidence you need to succeed in a competitive market.