As defined by the UK Institute of Food Science and Technology, shelf-life represents the period of time during which the food product will remain, safe; retain its desired sensory, chemical, physical, microbiological and functional characteristics.

PBR offers microbiological shelf-life testing with all applicable tests including challenge testing. In addition, PBR works closely with customers in planning the shelf-life studies of their products. Generally, the factors considered are: desired shelf-life durations; short (up to one week), medium (up to three weeks) or long (up to one year); safety considerations; storage conditions; and controlled conditions that mimic those the product is likely to encounter during storage.

PBR offers routine Real Time Shelf Life (RSL) as well as, where applicable, accelerated shelf life (ASL) testing for longer shelf-life products. Some selected tests are listed in the table below.

Nutritional Labelling  includes analyses for nutritional fact parameters, including, carbohydrates, fats, cholestrol, proteins, diatary fibers, sugars and various mineral nutrients. We also offer nutritional analysis based on calculated values from the ingradients contained in a given Recipe.

PBR provides rental equipment, sampling materials, supplies, and offers advice for proper tests and procedures if clients are qualified to do the sampling. However, it is recommended that clients involve PBR’s qualified staff in designing the sampling scheme and protocol to ensure the relevance of the laboratory results to the problem under investigation.

PBR offers complete analytical services for microbiological quality assessment and characterization of agricultural and contaminated soils based on the tests listed in the following table. These tests and parameters are useful in determining the level and source of microbiological contamination as applicable to environmental impact assessment, soil bioremediation, and soil fertility evaluation.

NOTE: For chemical analysis of soil, please look for  Soil Quality Test under Chemical/Environmental services.  

PBR provides specific testing services to determine and evaluate the anti-microbial activity and efficacy of various products, as well as to ascertain the level of bacterial and fungal contamination (product sterility). Most commonly tested products include, pharmaceuticals,  probiotics, consumer and industrial products. 

Efficiacy and Sterility microbiological tests are performed using Standards and Protocols of the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB), Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), International, American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO).