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Food Science & Technology vocabulary · Shelf Life and Storage

Accelerated shelf-life testing

Meaning in food science & technology, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In food science & technology, accelerated shelf-life testing means: A faster way of estimating shelf life by storing a product under harsher conditions, usually higher temperature or humidity, and using models to predict how long it will last normally.

In Turkish: hızlandırılmış raf ömrü testi

How it is used

Often shortened to ASLT. Common for shelf-stable foods such as snacks, oils, powders and confectionery, where real-time studies would take a year or more. Calculations use the Arrhenius equation or a Q10 value. Results should be confirmed by a real-time study, and the method does not work well for microbial shelf life.

Example sentences

  1. Accelerated shelf-life testing at 40 °C suggested the crackers would last about nine months.

  2. We use accelerated shelf-life testing for a quick answer and real-time storage to confirm it.

Common collocations

  • ASLT
  • real-time study
  • Q10 value
  • Arrhenius model
  • storage trial
  • shelf lifeThe length of time a food stays safe and keeps its expected quality when it is stored under the stated conditions.
  • storage conditionsThe temperature, humidity, light and other conditions under which a food must be kept to stay safe and reach its stated shelf life.
  • lipid oxidationA chemical reaction between fats or oils and oxygen that breaks them down and produces stale, rancid flavors and smells.
  • sensory evaluationThe scientific testing of food with the human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing) by trained panels or by consumers.

More terms: Shelf Life and Storage

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