Hello everyone, I'm after a bit of advice on a new process we potentially have in our bakery.
We are looking to make a cookie for a customer and then freeze it down for them. They want shelf life to be two years on this frozen product. We currently don't have any freezer validation as far as I can tell. So I'm just after a bit of advice on how to tackle this.
Further to this. The customer is suggesting, when the product is defrosted, they may want to add additional life, and almost start at production date zero and then add a BBD? If that makes sense?
The cookie, is a current, standard recipe that has shelf-life for its current, low risk ambient status. There would be no change to the current formulation.
I would therefore welcome any comments from a micro validation view point.
Thanks.
I assume by freeze you mean store frozen, eg -18degC.
The micro. validation with respect to frozen should be rather trivial. >>> Zero growth, some possible die-off. Documented many textbooks
So if OK going into the freezer + suitably rapid cooling/freezing + no subsequent risk of cross-contamination / growth, should be OK to the finish.
The frozen storage shelf life will then depend on any "CP" quality driven issues.
And, offhand, probably same "calculation" after you defrost, possibly depend on how you plan to store it (ambient/chilled/?).
PS - I imagine yr current ambient shelf-life is analogously quality driven, = 2 years ? (I guess not ?)