How To Prolong Your Product’s Shelf Life

As a food business owner, you know that “shelf life” matters. The longer your food shelf life, the easier the shipping, storing and selling – there’s no doubt about that. So, we’d like you to learn some basic methods of increasing the shelf life of food. These methods are used alone or in combination to extend the normal biological life of foodstuffs and to grow your sales.

What Causes Short Shelf Life?

Oxidation – Exposure to Oxygen

Example: Biscuits

When you leave the biscuit exposed in your kitchen within a few hours, the quality of the biscuit will be different. This is because it is exposed to oxygen.

Moisture Build Up

Example 1: Salted Egg Chips

In 2019, salted egg chips became a trend, and you may have eaten one that lost its crunch. This is because there was a moisture build-up inside the pouch.

Example 2: Vitamins

Inside a bottle or pouch packaging of vitamins, you will find a pack of silica gel. It's placed to prevent moisture build-up inside the packaging that will damage the quality of the vitamins and without it, will shorten the shelf life of the vitamins.

Exposure to Light

Example: Coffee Beans

Coffee beans exposed to light will become stale and lose its flavor. That’s why we always recommend using a pouch that has no window.

Packaging That Can Help Improve the Product’s Shelf Life

Use Pouch materials with Aluminum layer (AL)
UV light cannot penetrate into the pouch. If the item you will put inside the pouch is sensitive to UV light, it is best to use pouches with AL lining. Aluminum also gives the highest barrier so; we can expect a longer shelf life.

Use Desiccants – There 2 types of Desiccants

Oxygen Absorber – Oxygen Absorbers avoids oxidation (changing the color and quality of the product). This also avoids bacteria growth.
Used For: Dry Foods (10% moisture or less) and low oil content

Dried Mangoes (Prevents Browning)
Cereals
Dried Herbs, Beans, Etc.
Cheese
Flour and Grains (Chia Seeds, Quinoa, Etc.)
Bread
Peanuts
Biscuits

WARNING: Please avoid using Oxygen Absorbers on Products with High Moisture Content.

Silica Gel – Absorbs Moisture inside the pouch that causes molds (Amag). This also keeps your product brittle and crispy while inside the packaging.
Used For:

Chips
Popcorn
Medicines
Dog Food

WARNING: Do not use if your product needs to retain its moisture or else the product's moisture will be lost and the product will deteriorate further (e.g., Hopia, Bread).

How Much Should I Use?

Oxygen Absorber

Pouch volume capacity 1mL = 0.26 cc of oxygen absorber. Provided below is a sample computation:

Stand Up Pouch (12*20 cm) = 450 mL
Computation: 450 x 0.26 = 117 cc
Result: 1 pack of OXAB003 (160 cc) can be placed inside a stand-up pouch with a 12*20 centimeters size.

Silica Gel

Pouch volume capacity 1mL = 0.001 g of Silica Gel required. Provided below is a sample computation

Zip Flat (20*30 cm) = 1800 mL
Computation: 1800 x 0.001 g = 1.8g silica
Result: 1 pack of SCGL009 is enough for 20*30 cm of flat pouch with zip lock

How Do I Keep/Store Unused Desiccants?

Oxygen Absorber

Vacuum Sealed (reseal)

Silica Gel

Tupperware
Sealed Zip Bag
Store in a Cool and Dry Place

Additional FAQs

Why is my packet of Oxygen Absorber is starting to feel warm? - This means the oxygen absorber has been activated.
How long is the shelf life of your Oxygen Absorber?

Sealed Oxygen Absorber can last up to 6 months

Opened and Exposed Oxygen Absorbers can only last up to 15 minutes

Link to our video:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11PHl2KG52FwdfzHm--a-zqyXHyJtWVTn/view?usp=sharing