client
Prebiotic Beverage
Our Role
We redefined fast-casual loyalty
Today’s Task
What We did Today?
Event: Quality Validation and Shelf-Life Evaluation of a Functional Prebiotic Beverage formulations
Following formulation optimization, Variant 2 was identified as the preferred formulation. During the validation phase, both Variant 1 and Variant 2 were retained for comparative storage studies to confirm the robustness of the final formulation before commercialization.
😊 How I Felt Before Starting
Moving from formulation development into shelf-life validation meant shifting my focus from “what works” to “what holds up over time.” I approached this phase with a structured storage-stability protocol, treating microbial safety and prebiotic retention as the two non-negotiable checkpoints, while tracking physicochemical and sensory changes as supporting evidence of consistent quality through Day 90.
🧪 What We Did Today?
Product Evaluation Plan
Following formulation, next was storage study evaluation at Day 0 and Day 90 of storage to validate its shelf life across three core dimensions:
The evaluation covered:
- Microbial quality and safety evaluation
- Prebiotic retention during storage
- Sensory evaluation for storage stability assessment
Key Steps Followed Today
Microbiological analysis was conducted following ISO 4833 (Total Plate Count), ISO 21527 (Yeast & Mould), ISO 16649 (Escherichia coli), and standard food safety methods for indicator microorganisms and pathogens. The evaluation confirmed that the beverage remained microbiologically safe and complied with quality requirements throughout storage.
The stability of the prebiotic fibre was assessed during storage using applicable AOAC dietary fibre analytical methods. This evaluation verified that the functional ingredient retained its efficacy without significant degradation, ensuring the beverage continued to deliver its intended digestive health benefits.
Sensory evaluation was performed using a 9-point Hedonic Scale to assess appearance, aroma, flavour, mouthfeel, aftertaste, and overall acceptability at Day 0 and Day 90, tracking how storage influenced consumer acceptability over time.
📚 What I Learned?
Observations & Learnings
- Microbiological quality remained within acceptable limits, confirming product safety during storage.
- The prebiotic fibre remained stable, demonstrating good retention of functional efficacy over the evaluated shelf life.
- Sensory attributes, including flavour, sweetness, mouthfeel, and overall acceptability, remained highly acceptable with minimal changes during storage.
- The study demonstrated that comprehensive quality, microbiological, functional, and sensory evaluations are essential for validating the shelf life and commercial readiness of functional prebiotic beverages.
Outcome (Analysis Table)
Interpretation
The targeted microbiological safety, prebiotic retention, and sensory quality requirements were achieved for both Variant 1 and Variant 2 throughout the 90-day shelf-life study. Both formulations remained microbiologically safe, including the absence of E. coli, and retained more than 95% of their prebiotic content. Variant 2 demonstrated superior storage stability, with higher prebiotic retention (97.2%) and higher overall acceptability (8.5/9) than Variant 1. Based on this performance, Variant 2 demonstrated the strongest storage performance and its 90-day shelf-life was validated for commercialization.
Microbiological Parameters | ||||
Parameter | Day 0 (V1) | Day 90 (V1) | Day 0 (V2) | Day 90 (V2) |
Total Plate Count (CFU/mL) | <10 | 45 | <10 | 30 |
Yeast & Mould (CFU/mL) | ND | <10 | ND | ND |
E. coli | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
✅ What Went Well?
- Confirmed the finalized formulation holds its target physicochemical range (pH, °Brix, viscosity) across a full 90-day storage cycle.
- Validated >95% prebiotic retention across the shelf life, confirming the functional claim holds through commercial storage.
- Cleared microbiological safety benchmarks throughout the 90-day study, with acceptable microbial counts and absence of coli.
- Preserved consumer-facing quality, with only minimal sensory drift in flavour, mouthfeel, and appearance across storage.
- Variant 2 emerged as the clear candidate, giving a validated, shelf-stable formulation ready for commercial launch.
⚠️ What Could I Have Done Better?
- Conduct 6–12 months of real-time shelf-life studies to confirm long-term product stability.
- Evaluate alternative prebiotic fibre systems to improve functional retention and storage performance.
- Assess high-barrier packaging to further enhance product stability during storage.
- Perform accelerated stability studies to predict long-term shelf life under different storage conditions.
- Conduct larger consumer sensory studies to validate market acceptance before commercialization.
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Project Code:24FRL-BEV-NPD 4577-01
Name:Mohammad Hassan
Project Code:24-FRL-FOD-NPD-2462-02
Name:Miral
Project Code: 24-FRL-FOD-NPD-3449-01
Name: Mehul Molir
Project Code: 24-FRL-BEV-REV-2878-01
Name: Esther
Project Code: 24-FRL-NPD-FTP-PMR-2660-02
Name: Harshad
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