GB/T 47141-2026Guidelines for determining the shelf life of food (English PDF)

3.1 Shelf life of food

The period during which food maintains its quality under the indicated storage conditions.

3.2 Storage condition

The environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and light required for food to maintain its inherent quality stability during storage.

3.3 Ingredient

Any substance used in the manufacture or processing of food and present in food (including in modified form), including water, edible agricultural products, food used as raw materials, and food additives (including food fortifiers).

3.4 Food stability test

Methods for determining the shelf life of food by studying the degree and laws of quality changes in food under different environmental conditions.

NOTE: Food stability test includes long-term stability test and accelerated destruction test.

5.1 Influencing factors and basis

5.1.1 The basis for determining the shelf life of food is a comprehensive identification of endogenous and exogenous influencing factors. The following factors shall be considered in particular:

--- Inherent characteristics of food, such as sensory, physicochemical, and microbiological properties;

--- Environmental conditions required to maintain the stability of the inherent quality of food, such as temperature, humidity, and light, etc.;

--- The food formula, ingredient characteristics, and the state and/or function of ingredients and/or components that have a key impact on shelf life of food;

--- Packaging form, packaging materials, and packaging performance, etc.;

--- Production process, production equipment, production processing environment/conditions, and production process control;

--- The influence of actual storage and transportation conditions;

--- The influence of factors related to the edibility of food, such as the purpose of edibility, edibility characteristics, and edibility methods.

5.1.2 The basis for determining the shelf life of food includes product standards (usually the primary basis), research and development documents, historical data, literature, and other relevant technical documents. The following should be considered as key bases:

--- Sensory indicators and/or requirements such as texture, mouthfeel, odor, and taste, etc.;

--- Physicochemical indicators such as moisture content, water activity, osmotic pressure, and pH, etc.;

--- Microbiological indicators such as total bacterial count, yeast, and mold, etc.;

--- Content or related indicators and/or requirements of nutrients;

--- Indicators and/or requirements related to components (or factors) sensitive to conditions such as temperature, humidity, and light;

--- Other indicators and/or requirements that significantly affect the shelf life of food.

5.2 Food formulas and ingredients

5.2.1 The impact of food formulas and ingredients on the shelf life of food should be considered, with particular attention to the following:

--- The variety and quantity of raw materials, excipients, and food additives in the food formulas, and the rationality of their proportions;

--- The possibility of optimizing/improving the food formulas based on product performance requirements and process conditions;

--- The state (solid, liquid, etc.), stability, performance characteristics, dosage/content, and method of addition of major ingredients;

--- The stability, performance characteristics, dosage/content, etc. of excipients, especially those with a significant or critical impact on the shelf life of food (hereinafter referred to as "critical excipients");

--- The impact of the existence and performance characteristics of intermediate products (hereinafter referred to as "semi-finished products") during food processing and production of other foods;

--- Other situations requiring special consideration.

5.2.2 When changes in the performance of food ingredients and semi-finished products may affect the shelf life of the final food product, a recommended shelf life should be set, taking into account, but not limited to, the following influencing factors:

--- Sensory, physicochemical, microbiological, and nutritional characteristics of food ingredients and semi-finished products;

--- Performance characteristics of food ingredients and semi-finished products;

EXAMPLE 1: Enzyme activity.

--- Usage methods, dosages, or contents of food ingredients and semi-finished products, and their forms of existence in food;

EXAMPLE 2: Viable bacterial count.

--- Requirements of food production technologies, production processes, and production environment on food ingredients and semi-finished products;

--- Impact of packaging conditions, storage conditions, and storage time on food ingredients and semi-finished products.

NOTE: Final food products refer to food that has completed all production processes and is ready for final consumption or use.

5.2.3 For food ingredients and semi-finished products whose recommended use period is the same as the shelf life of the food ingredients and semi-finished products, or for which no recommended use period is set, the impact of their usage methods and dosages on the shelf life of the food should be assessed quantitatively. […]