Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Digital tools for shelf life prediction
Reliable decision-making criteria for the selection and design of packaging systems
Optimize your packaging in a targeted manner
How long will your product remain stable? Which packaging solution provides the required protection, and under what conditions?
A product’s shelf life is determined by the interaction between the product itself, its packaging, and the conditions encountered throughout the supply chain. Temperature, humidity, time, as well as material properties and packaging design all influence how quality-related product attributes change over time.
This is where our digital tools come into play. We combine experimental data with established physicochemical models and apply them to your specific use cases. This enables the reliable assessment of packaging concepts as well as storage and transportation conditions at an early stage of development.
Based on these insights, you receive transparent, data-driven decision support for the selection and design of your packaging systems, from the initial concept through validation in real-world application scenarios.
Our services
- Data-driven shelf-life prediction under real-world storage and transportation conditions
- Quantitative evaluation of packaging concepts, including materials, geometry, and design
- Determination of packaging material requirements, such as necessary barrier properties to meet defined shelf-life targets
- Support in the design and optimization of packaging systems, including the impact of leak rates, perforations, and headspace conditions
- Comparison of alternative material solutions, such as monomaterials versus multilayer systems and recyclable packaging options
- Analysis of complex scenarios, including modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), variable climate profiles, and transportation fluctuations
Assess shelf life, understand risks
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Reliable Decision Support for Your Packaging Development
Even with limited data, we identify key influencing factors, evaluate uncertainties, and compare different scenarios. This provides robust answers to critical questions: Which packaging solution meets my shelf-life target? How sensitive is the system to variations? And where do potential risks lie?
Application areas
- Food
- Pharmaceuticals
- Cosmetics
- Packaging Materials and Packaging Components
Practical example: Packaging optimization for savory snack products
How do packaging materials, product formulation, and climatic conditions influence the shelf life of potato chips?
For crispy snack products, moisture is one of the most critical factors affecting product quality. As potato chips absorb moisture, they lose their crispness and are perceived by consumers as less fresh.
Using our digital tools, we can analyze the quality changes of potato chips under a wide range of packaging and storage conditions. We evaluate the interaction between the product, the packaging, and the surrounding environment, enabling the assessment of different scenarios, including alternative packaging materials, product formulations, and climate conditions throughout the supply chain.
The results demonstrate that packaging solutions can differ significantly in their protective performance, while product variants may show varying sensitivities to moisture uptake. As a result, substantial differences in shelf life can occur.
Our digital tools enable realistic shelf-life predictions for crispy snack products and support the targeted optimization of both packaging and product concepts, reducing the need for time-consuming storage trials.