Testing, while necessary, can be a costly and time-consuming process. Even more so when you have the burden of manual work, if you need to recheck scattered data, or click through Excel sheets to dig up information. Yet testing is essential to ensure that products are up to industry standards in quality and reliability.
Stability testing is a process in which products that have been stored for a while are being evaluated. These tests are aimed at identifying any changes in physical, chemical, or microbiological properties on a product's efficacy as well as its safety.
What is the most efficient way to perform stability testing? And how can a smart QMS help manufacturers to easily plan, execute, and track their stability test requirements and results? In this blog, we’ll tell you more.
Stability testing – essential in many industries
Many products are subject to stability testing after storage and these tests are essential in many industries. Perhaps one of the most obvious examples is the food industry to ensure food items meet safety standards and remain safe for consumption. This might include tests such as shelf-life studies, accelerated aging studies, and exposure studies. Each of these tests can give insight into how a food item will interact with its environment over time, helping manufacturers identify any potential risks or problems that may arise before they release it to the public.
The cosmetics industry also relies heavily on stability testing. With the ever-changing trends and regulations, cosmetics companies must ensure their products meet all safety requirements and perform as promised.
Another industry that regularly performs stability tests is the pharmaceutical industry. By implementing stability testing procedures, pharma companies can track when their drugs need to be tested and what tests need to be performed. Tests could include accelerated testing, which subjects a drug to extreme temperatures for an extended period of time, or real-time testing, which monitors the effects of storage over a specified amount of time.
The more efficient way to perform stability tests
The shortcut version to stability testing is automating the process. This means that you can trigger a stability test on your chosen date. Automation in this case also includes tracking samples, managing data, assigning tasks, non-conformity analysis, reporting, trend analysis and passing test results to other systems, like for instance an ERP. This simplifies the process and also allows you to build a schedule.
Using software, businesses can also share data analysis and reporting with other stakeholders, helping to ensure that all the necessary parties are kept up to date on the status of the tests. This not only improves communication and transparency but leads to improved efficiency while ensuring that products remain safe and reliable.
Ultimately, implementing a tool like AlisQI will help companies stay ahead of the curve in terms of quality assurance and customer satisfaction - thus creating a more efficient and secure supply chain for their products. Together with solid customer relations and delivery systems, this will ensure the success of any business striving for excellence in today’s marketplace.
