What Is Shelf Life Testing and Accelerated Shelf Life Testing?
Shelf life testing is an important process in a number of industries. This process examines the longevity of products as they sit on store shelves to determine sell by or use by dates. In cannabis, it is no different - cannabis products expire just like anything else, and they are especially sensitive to environmental factors that can prevent or hasten their degradation.
At True Labs for Cannabis, one of our many cannabis testing services is shelf life testing. This method offers insight into how long cannabis products will hold up on store shelves for months at a time, giving dispensaries and consumers the confidence that the products on display remain effective and safe for consumption.
In this blog, you will learn:
What shelf life testing is and how it relates to cannabis
The difference between real-time and accelerated shelf life testing
How analytical labs conduct shelf life testing
What is shelf life testing?
Shelf life testing, sometimes referred to as stability testing, is performed to determine how long a cannabis product can remain stable in storage, which refers to how its compound profile remains consistent over a period of months. When a product is stable, it means it will taste, smell, and feel the same as the day it is made even after sitting on a dispensary shelf for some time.
Shelf life testing is also used to gauge the risk of microbial contamination over time, such as the growth of molds, mildews, and bacteria. As a product ages, especially in adverse conditions, the risk of these microbial contaminations increases. This also introduces the possibility of very harmful mycotoxin contamination from moldy products, so it is important to keep tabs on a product’s shelf life.
The results of shelf life testing for any given product offer insights into an appropriate expiration date, which is required to be affixed on the label or packaging of the product so dispensaries and consumers know when a product is too old to sell or buy.
How is shelf life testing performed?
Shelf life testing is a real-time approach which monitors the aging and degradation of products over a true period of 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. While this is a somewhat lengthy process, it is necessary for accurately determining the longevity and precise expiration dates of cannabis products, a critical element of protecting consumer health and safety. Typically, cannabinoids, microbials, and terpenes are included in shelf life testing. The test determines the degradation of cannabinoids and terpenes over time, and it also determines the presence and development of microbes over time.
There are faster ways to determine a cannabis product’s shelf life, but none are as accurate as the real-time monitoring of a product’s degradation over a period of weeks and months.
Shelf life testing vs. accelerated shelf life testing
Accelerated shelf life testing is a simulated version of shelf life testing that determines how long a cannabis product can remain safe on store shelves in a shorter period of time. This test provides an expedited view of how cannabis ages over long periods of time, condensing a study of months into just several days or a few weeks.
Typically, laboratories offer accelerated shelf life testing that simulates longer time periods. Labs perform accelerated shelf life testing by exposing samples to certain environmental factors, such as increased temperature, pH, and relative humidity levels. This effectively speeds up the aging process of the sample, degrading cannabinoids and terpenes, as well as any additional ingredients in the product.
Think of an accelerated shelf life test as pressing fast forward on the lifespan of a product; this gives analysts a clear idea of just how long it takes for a cannabis product to expire. By monitoring the degradation of compounds in this intensified environment, analysts can judge with some accuracy the appropriate expiration date for a product.
As a result, producers are able to get their goods to market in compliance with the law while awaiting the more precise results of a real-time shelf life test. However, It is a New Jersey state requirement that real-time shelf life tests are conducted to guarantee the accuracy of results and demonstrate due diligence to regulators and customers alike.
What types of cannabis products are subject to shelf life testing?
Shelf life testing, accelerated and real-time, applies to any type of consumable cannabis product. Orally ingested products, including edibles, beverages, and tinctures, are of particular import when it comes to shelf life testing, but it also applies to cannabis flower, vape cartridges, and extracts like wax or crumble. After shelf life testing is performed on a product, labs can recommend a specific expiration date. In some states, like New Jersey, an expiration date is calculated from the time the product was manufactured, not the time it arrives in a dispensary.
Is shelf life testing a requirement in New Jersey?
Yes. N.J.A.C. 17:30-16.5 requires that cannabis products are tested to determine expiration date. If stability testing results are not available, however, standard expiration dates apply. For water containing products, this date is 14 days from manufacture when stored between 2℃ and 8℃ (36℉ to 46℉). For all other products, the expiration date is no more than six months from manufacture date. Additionally, all products must be packaged in airtight, light-resistant containers and stored at a controlled room temperature.
Put your cannabis products to the test before they reach market
True Labs for Cannabis serves New Jersey cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, and dispensaries by offering precise, real-time shelf life testing that offers validation of a product’s long-term stability. In a new market where it is more important than ever to establish trusting relationships with regulators and customers alike, third-party stability testing results are essential to validating that your products stand the literal test of time, until the expiration date on the package.