Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV
Digital tools for shelf life prediction
Reliable decision-making criteria for your packaging development
Optimize your packaging in a targeted manner
How long does your product have a shelf life? What packaging provides reliable protection? What barrier is necessary to ensure maximum product shelf life?
Packaging decisions are complex because product quality changes along the supply chain. Temperature, humidity, time, and the packaging system used significantly influence shelf life. Even small adjustments to materials, film thickness, or design can have a noticeable impact on shelf life and product quality.
Our digital tools for shelf life prediction provide early clarity in packaging development by simulating relevant scenarios – even before materials are produced industrially. With our forecasts, we make complex relationships measurable and evaluable. To do this, we link measurement data with physicochemical models to realistically map the interactions between the product, packaging, and storage and transport conditions.
On this basis, we evaluate your application scenarios in a well-founded and data-driven manner. This provides you with reliable shelf life predictions and clear recommendations for packaging concepts that optimally balance product protection and plastic reduction.
Our services in the field of shelf life prediction
- Software based prediction of material transport/permeation through technical films and food packaging
- Product-specific development and optimization of active packaging systems
- Quantitative comparison of recycled and fiber-based materials, monomaterials, and multilayer systems
Digital tools for shelf life prediction
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Data-driven evaluation of packaging concepts
Our powerful digital tools are based on a modular design. We adapt them flexibly to your specific requirements. Even with limited data, we can make reliable predictions and determine their statistical confidence. Thanks to our many years of experience, we can draw on in-depth expertise.
Without the need for experimentation, we can answer your questions about the shelf life or service life of a product in a packaging system.
Application areas
- Food packaging, in particular MAP systems
- Packaging for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products
- Packaging for technical products
- Assistance with the selection or redesign of packaging materials
- Development of new packaging materials, including active packaging systems
- Planning of transport chains
- Quality monitoring
Practical example: Shelf life of strawberries
How long do strawberries stay fresh when stored at 7°C in modified atmosphere packaging with perforations?
To answer this question, we used our digital tools for shelf-life prediction to analyze the quality development of packaged strawberries. We examined taste, odor, and appearance, as well as key processes such as gas exchange, fruit respiration, and microbial growth.
A storage trial was conducted in parallel. Under the conditions studied, the strawberries remained fresh for ten days. After that, microbial contamination increased significantly, the gas composition inside the packaging changed, and the sensory evaluation fell below the established marketability threshold.
The results confirmed the digital prediction. The relevant processes within the strawberry packaging were reliably modeled (see graph).
The validated prediction can be used to quickly evaluate additional scenarios, such as different storage temperatures, a modified number of perforations, or alternative packaging designs.
This practical example demonstrates that our digital tools provide a robust foundation for answering specific packaging questions and for the targeted further development of packaging systems.