Storage modelling
Why 40 °C is not a shortcut for chilled products
Arrhenius modelling breaks down once you cross a phase transition. A note on where acceleration stops being defensible.
18 March 2026Laboratory → Insights
Technical notes
Four notes from the laboratory floor, written for technical managers who have to defend a date code rather than for other laboratories.
Barrier testing
Reading an OTR curve: three failure signatures
Pinhole, delamination and seal-channel failures each leave a different shape on the transmission trace.
2 February 2026
Microbiology
Challenge testing or durability study — which one does your date code need?
The two answer different questions, and a growth study will not satisfy a safety-based shelf life.
9 December 2025
Packaging integrity
Seal creep: what transit simulation exposes
Packs that pass a static burst test at 48 hours frequently fail after a simulated 1,200 km distribution leg.
21 October 2025Standing guidance
Sample quantity
Three replicates per pull point per arm, plus six for time zero. Under-sampling is the single most common reason a study has to be repeated.
Time zero matters
A trial with no proper time-zero characterisation cannot show drift, only a final state. Budget the samples for it.
Send the real pack
Line-sealed packs behave differently from hand-sealed ones. If the study supports a label claim, the pack has to come off the line.
Declare the abuse
If the cold chain realistically reaches 12 °C, test an arm at 12 °C. A study run only at 4 °C describes a distribution network nobody has.