General information on shelf life for flavouring concentrates.

Why does flavouring concentrates have an expiry date, and how is this date determined?

The shelf life is determined by the manufacturer based on experience or stability studies. We see manufacturers who determine the shelf life to 6 months, and others who offer 5 years. Manufacturers inform about the shelf life to indicate the period where the degree of potency changes are at an acceptable level.

There is no exact law or rule that states how to determine the expiry date. In some areas, like for chemicals or e-liquids, it is not even mandatory to indicate an expiry date on the product.

At Efuma we strive always to have minimum 2.5 months shelf life left on the flavouring concentrates we ship out. If you experience you get a product from Efuma which has a shorter expiry date, don’t hesitate to contact Efuma for returns or replacements. You can always use your common sense or smell/taste the product if you are not sure the concentrate can still be used.

Note that when the flavouring concentrates are mixed to a new product with new characteristics, a shelf life must be determined for this new product independently of the incoming raw materials.

The stability of a flavouring concentrate is affected by many parameters including the composition, the manufacturing process and the storage conditions. Some ingredients are rather unstable, one example being the sour flavourings where we often see expiry dates less than 6 months. How the flavouring is handled also affects the shelf life. A bottled stored at high temperature, in direct sunlight and often opened will have a shorter shelf life than an unopened bottle stored cold and in the dark.

If you have further questions regarding shelf life for flavouring concentrates, please contact Efuma´s compliance team at compliance@efuma.com.sales@capellaflavours.com.