Shelf Life Validation With Galdi And FILL good

Shelf life validation is an essential step in the process of bringing a product to market.

Accurately assessing the shelf life of a product - and implementing the correct protocols to validate it - is very important to guarantee food safety and to ensure that the product retains its organoleptic properties until consumption.

In order to carry out the assessment in the most effective and efficient manner, we offer our customers two added values:

• Galdi's long-time experience in packaging a wide range of products and
• FILL good's - our in-house start-up - microbiological consulting

Shelf life is influenced by many factors, such as:

• Quality of raw materials
• Product's microbiological characteristics
• Processing method
• Maintenance and cleaning of equipment
• Barrier properties of packaging in use
• Sealing quality
• Temperature and type of storage until consumption

Customised validation protocols that take into account the product, the type of packaging and the packaging system being used are key to assign shelf life with confidence.

Thanks to both the experience Galdi has gained in its over 30 years in the packaging industry and FILL good's specialist support, we can assist customers in every stage of the validation process, offering technical consulting on analyses and testing. We can help with:

• Validation protocols
• Sampling plans
• Microbiological and sensory testing design
• Direct support, during the testing stage too, by FILL good's microbiologist
• Test results discussion
• Shelf life validation, including filling and testing on Galdi machinery

Shelf life validation is required whenever you introduce a:

• New product
• New packaging
• New filling process (e.g. switching from aseptic to "fresh" or from "fresh" to ESL)

Besides providing expert advice on shelf life validation, Galdi can guarantee the added value of a skilled team of professionals assisting customers every step of the way, from the initial consultation to project implementation.

The following are 3 short case studies:

Liquid egg: transitioning from brick to Gable Top cartons

Cascina Italia was looking to upgrade their liquid egg packaging system.

We offered a range of professional services to support them in safely implementing the change that affected both the type of packaging and the process.

The range of provided services included: CIP and SIP validation, with both a dedicated microbiologist and technician providing support on site; cleaning verification through swabbing; support during the shelf-life validation process; result analysis.

Shelf-life validation for water in Gable Top cartons

As Fonte Margherita was using Gable Top cartons for the first time, we provided support during the initial cleaning cycles, with swab testing conducted on site by one of Galdi's service technicians and FILL good's microbiology scientist.

We also provided advice on the HACCP plan for the production plant and helped with the paperwork to be submitted to the local health authorities.

Shelf-life assessment for plant-based drink cartons

For a newly acquired customer based in the UK, we provided support in designing sampling schedules, helping them to identify relevant microbiological criteria and test preparation procedures (cleaning cycles, dye tests, machinery and line swabbing).

Here, too, shelf-life validation tests were conducted on site by FILL good's experts.

Discover Galdi's and FILL good's consulting services for dairy products and plant-based drinks.

To find out more, contact us.