About this Video

• Video Title: Determinar la vida útil de los alimentos - Episodio nº 9
• Channel: Marife Montes Luna
• Speakers: Marife Montes Luna
• Duration: 00:29:04

Introduction

This podcast episode discusses how to determine the shelf life of food products, focusing on the difference between "best before" and "use by" dates. The speaker, Marife Montes Luna, explains the relevant European regulations (Regulation 1169/2011) and provides a decision tree to help food industry professionals correctly label their products.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding "Best Before" and "Use By" Dates: The episode clarifies the distinction between "consumo preferente" (best before) and "fecha de caducidad" (use by) dates, emphasizing that "use by" dates are crucial for food safety.
• EFSA Decision Tree: Marife introduces a decision tree published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to guide food businesses in determining whether to use "best before" or "use by" dates on their labels. The tree uses a series of questions about the product's characteristics and processing to arrive at the correct labeling.
• Factors Affecting Shelf Life: The episode highlights several factors influencing shelf life, including pH levels, water activity, presence of preservatives, modified atmosphere packaging, and the type and effectiveness of any thermal treatments (e.g., sterilization, pasteurization, high-pressure processing).
• Types of Lethal Treatments: Several methods for achieving lethal treatment (eliminating vegetative cells and spores of pathogenic bacteria) are explained, including heat sterilization, UHT processing, irradiation, and high-pressure processing.
• Reverse Engineering the Decision Tree: The speaker demonstrates how to trace the decision tree backward to verify the chosen label ("best before" or "use by") is correct given a product’s characteristics.

Based on Marife Montes' podcast:

1. ¿A qué normativa europea se hace referencia en este episodio de podcast respecto a la información alimentaria para los consumidores?

El podcast hace referencia al Reglamento (UE) nº 1169/2011 del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 25 de octubre de 2011, sobre la información alimentaria facilitada al consumidor. Specifically, the podcast focuses on articles 2 and 24 of this regulation which define "fecha de duración mínima" (minimum durability date) and "fecha de caducidad" (use-by date), respectively. The podcast also mentions Annex 10 of the regulation, which lists food items exempt from needing a "best before" date.

2. ¿Cuáles son las diferencias clave entre "consumo preferente" y "fecha de caducidad" como se explica en el podcast?

The key difference lies in their implications for food safety. "Fecha de caducidad" ("use by" date) indicates that after this date, consuming the food poses a risk to health, regardless of its appearance. "Consumo preferente" ("best before" date) refers to the date until which the food retains its specific qualities under proper storage conditions. After this date, the food may still be safe to consume, but its quality (taste, texture, etc.) might have deteriorated.

3. ¿Cuáles son los cinco tipos principales de tratamientos mencionados que pueden eliminar las esporas de bacterias y cómo funcionan?

The podcast mentions these five treatments capable of eliminating bacterial spores:

* **Esterilización por calor:** This involves applying high temperatures (like in autoclaves using steam under high pressure, or commercial sterilization in canning) to destroy all microbial life, including spores.
* **Pasterización a Ultra o Alta Temperatura (UHT):**  This uses very high temperatures for a short time to eliminate vegetative cells and spores.  UHT milk is an example.
* **Radiación:** This uses ionizing radiation (gamma rays from cobalt-60 or electron beams) to destroy microorganisms and spores without significantly increasing the food's temperature.
* **Altas presiones hidrostáticas:**  This method uses extremely high pressures to inactivate microorganisms and spores without heat.
* **Tratamiento químico (Óxido de etileno):** While mentioned, the speaker notes that this is less common in food due to residual toxicity concerns.  It's more typically used for medical equipment sterilization.

4. ¿Cuáles son algunos ejemplos de productos alimenticios que están exentos de tener una fecha de “consumir preferentemente antes de”, según las regulaciones analizadas?

According to the podcast, products listed in Annex 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 are exempt from needing a "best before" date. Examples given include: fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, alcoholic beverages above 10% alcohol, bakery products consumed within 24 hours, vinegar, salt, and sugar. The podcast implies that this list is not exhaustive.

Another interesting point Marife Montes mentions is the importance of reverse engineering the EFSA decision tree. After determining the appropriate label (best before or use by), she recommends working backward through the tree to confirm the decision's consistency with the product's characteristics and processing. This serves as a valuable check for accuracy.

A practical case she uses is UHT milk. If the milk undergoes UHT processing (ultra-high temperature), which eliminates spores and bacteria after packaging, and there is no risk of recontamination, then a "best before" date is appropriate. Conversely, if the milk only undergoes pasteurization, it is more susceptible to bacterial growth, particularly if refrigerated, requiring a "use by" date.

She also uses the example of cooked ham. If a cooked ham undergoes a thermal treatment (cooking), but there's a possibility of recontamination and preservatives are added to mitigate this risk, along with protective packaging or refrigeration, a "best before" date might be suitable. However, once opened, the risk of spoilage increases dramatically, leading to a shorter shelf life and potentially necessitating a new "use by" date after opening.

In her conclusions, Marife Montes emphasizes the crucial role of food businesses in accurately determining and clearly communicating the shelf life of their products. She reiterates that this involves carefully considering the product's nature, its pH and water activity levels, and the types of processing and packaging used. The goal is to provide consumers with clear and accurate information on the food's "vida útil" (shelf life) using the correct terminology: "consumo preferente" (best before) or "fecha de caducidad" (use by), ensuring both product quality and food safety. She highlights the responsibility of the food industry to provide this maximum information to the consumer through proper food labeling.