Food Testing Labs Bear a Heavy Responsibility on Their Shoulders

As consumers, we so lovingly pick up a bottle of jam or a cup of ice cream from a supermarket and relish it with our families. Little do we worry about their acidity level or pH balance, simply because we trust the brands to deliver us a good product. But whom do the brands trust to keep a check on quality? It’s the job of the food testing labs to test processed food in multiple ways to ensure it is safe and good for consumption.

Understanding processed food:

The consumption of processed food by Indian consumers and those around the world, in general, has shot up many folds in the past couple of decades. With the exploding demand, we have seen production multiply as well. From dairy products to snacks, baked food, processed nonvegetarian items, instant food, oil, prices and condiments, the list and variety of processed food available on the shelves is endless. It is mandatory for every processed food manufacturer to avail the services of a certified food testing lab in Delhi for quality and nutritional value of their products.

Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI):

FSSAI is a centralized statutory body who is responsible for quality control of processed food in India. Every food manufacturer should abide by the food grade and safety regulations put forth by this authority before they offer their products to consumers. There are a handful of foodtesting laboratory labs in India who are certified by FSSAI to test food and give their approval.

 The process of food testing:

The entire process of food testing is divided into 3 broad categories. These include microbial, physical, and chemical testing.

Microbial testing: 

 This is critical in ensuring that any food product is free from disease-causing microbes as well as microbes that spoil food. The main aim of food testing labis to prevent foodborne diseases. This essentially means that in order for microbial testing to be effective, it should be carried out in a very controlled and precise manner so as to identify all possible microorganisms in a food product.

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Spectro Analytical Lab-The most reliable solution for testing paper and packaging

Paper packaging became the most common form of packaging items today. The ban on plastic and other petroleum products led to the widespread use of papers. There are large variety of paper bags available in the market. People specially the customers are seen carrying paper bags full of various kinds of items. Shopkeepers and retailers have been advised to pack their items with paper bags before handing over to their clients.

Papers are disposable and degradable by nature which is the reason why people from different parts of the country have positively responded to this changing lifestyle. Introduction of such packages in the market for common use widened the market of papers. There are several new market players who come up with paper bags with different designs and shapes for promoting their brands and values. However, to bring such bags into the market, one needs to test it. Quality testing of paper is important and it must meet the parameters set as per the national or international standard.

The quality testing is crucial for analyzing the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of different pulp, paperboard, paper and paper packaging required for processing. It is used for making of containers, boxes, parcels, packaging or labeling of the products. The best part of such testing is that they will help in identifying the characteristics such as chemical content, alkalinity, acidity, tensile breaking strength, peel adhesion, water, oil and resists tear.

They are essential for ensuring the quality for the efficient commercial use. It is also significant that such testing should be done from the laboratories that are reputed and offer quality testing through right expertise. When it comes to paper and packaging testing service, Spectro Analytical Lab is a leader in the market. It has been offering the same service since its inception and coming into the market. This lab has all kinds of expert professionals with vast years of industry experiences. Many clients approached and tested their testing services that ensured their papers and packaging had the required quality for efficient performance.

As per the application, manufacturers from different parts of the country come into the market with different paper products. If you are one of such manufacturers and willing to introduce paper packaging, it is crucial that before bringing them into the market, you get them tested as per the standard. People are preferring usage of bags made up of papers over the petroleum products or any other bags. It is because they are more of harmful for environment and surrounding.

While testing at Spectro Analytical Lab, one can find the service consists of tests of different aspects of the papers and bags such as boxes, bitumen paper, craft papers, writing papers, etc. The services offered here cater the professional needs and those engaged in the markets may find the service quite affordable and can expect the testing results to be on time. The lab has a team of professional experts to take care of each concern relating to the packaging with paper bags in terms of its quality.

Spectro Analytical Labs Limited: FSSAI MOOTS MANDATORY DISCLOSURE OF KEY CIGARETTE ...

Spectro Analytical Labs Limited: FSSAI MOOTS MANDATORY DISCLOSURE OF KEY CIGARETTE ...: In a move that will bring Indian companies on par with their global peers, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) propo...

Spectro’s Laboratory Testing ensures Quality & Safety of Food products and Water

The quality of food is an extremely important issue in today’s world. A number of regulations have been enforced by a number of international bodies controlling the quality of foods available in the market places. The quality of food has two broad aspects; one is the ‘Safety’ concern and the other is the ‘Values that make a food item appealing to customers’. Water testing mainly involves three broad types of testing characteristics: Physical, Chemical, and biological/micro-biological. All these parameters influence and decide the suitability of a particular type of water for an intended use. The ‘Food products testing’ unit and the ‘Water testing’ unit of Spectro Analytical Labs Ltd. have been carrying out the testing activities as per accepted protocols.

Food is the fuel which drives the internal body system of every human being. So, just like the quality of fuels for vehicles determines their performance and service-life, the quality of food items is an extremely important factor in deciding the well-being, vitality, and most importantly, the safety and survival of human beings. There are two very important, but very fundamentally different aspects of ‘Quality of food’. When we talk about the quality of food, the two points of concern are ‘Safety’ and ‘Values that make a food item appealing to customers’. The former aspect, which refers to the presence or absence of all those hazards (like pathogenic bacteria, antibiotics, toxins etc.), is not negotiable. It is an issue which endangers the existence of human beings who consume the particular food products, and hence can not be compromised with. The latter aspect defines those characteristics of food which influence its appealing value to the customers. This aspect automatically takes into account the ‘Safety’ issue associated with the food item. The various such factors can be taste, aroma, color, nutritional values etc. Adequate quality control is extremely crucial to be implemented at every stage of the food product’s supply chain. This role is carried out by accredited third party laboratories. The services offered by such laboratories are being used by a host of bodies like food manufacturers, food distributors, food exporters, academic and research institutions etc. In the field of food testing, Spectro Analytical Labs Ltd. has carved a niche for itself by providing accurate and reliable test results to its customers. The tests are conducted as per various accepted national and international standards like IS, ISO, USFDA, AOAC, and also as per client’s specific requirements.

The importance of the quality of water, as it relates to all the living organisms and non-living objects in our ecosystem, can not be overemphasized. Water is an indispensable necessity for the survival of all living beings. Human beings from time immemorial have been using water for various requirements. The requirements or applications of water vary according to the intended use. Thus, the quality requirements for a particular type of water vary depending on the intended use. The various uses of water include irrigation work, building/construction work, livestock watering, industrial uses, and finally drinking purposes. Hence, the types of water also vary likewise; there can be raw water, waste water, treated water, construction water, drinking water etc. Different specifications exist for the various types of water. The various tests that are conducted on water are aimed at determining the following broad characteristics: physical, chemical, and biological/micro-biological. Physical testing parameters of water include temperature, flow-velocity, light penetration, color etc., and these tests mainly refer to the ability of a water body to physically cope with pollution. The physical parameters also affect the chemical and biological test results. The chemical testing of water determine its composition in terms of various chemical entities. Some of the parameters include pH, acidity, alkalinity, turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen, Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand, various metallic and non-metallic constituents. The various chemical parameters have an effect on some of the properties of water. The biological/micro-biological parameters refer to the qualification and quantification of various micro-organisms, like bacteria etc. Spectro Analytical Labs Ltd. is well adept in providing world-class testing services for any type of water, using various national & international testing protocols.

Food Testing

Spectro conducts specialized tests for food products such as pesticide residues, toxic metals, aplatoxins, PCP , Dioxins etc., in spices, fruit concentrates, processed foods, confectionAries and various other foods and agricultural product like guar gum etc. We Specialize in

	Pesticide residue analysis
	Toxic metal estimation
	Food Testing

Pesticide Residue Analysis

The methods adopted are fully validated and important data on spiked recovery tests is furnished in the reports to reflect accuracy of results. The categories of products routinely tested for Pesticide Residues include Water, Food and Agro products, Soil etc. Residues estimated in water, food, drugs, agro products, soil etc. are:

	Organochlorine pesticide residues
	Organophosphorous pesticide residues
	Carbamates.
	Chlorinated acids pesticides
	Pheylurea Herbicides
	Sythetic pyrethroids pesticides

Sample clean up plays an important role in validating the residue data. Laboratory is equipped with manual and automated clean up procedures for liquid – liquid extractions and solid phase micro extractions.

Chromatographic equipment employed for residue analysis include GCMS/MS, HPLC with post column derivative-Pickering and Gas Chromatographs with FID and ECD.

Toxic Metals

Spectro Labs is equipped with state-of-the-art spectrometers such as Atomic Absorption Spectrometer with graphite furnace, hydride generator and XRF Spectrometer. Elements such as As, Pb, Cd, Hg, Sb, Cu, Cr, Zn, Sn present in excessive amounts in foods are treated as Toxic metals. These elements induce toxic effects on human metabolism. Such foods containing excessive amounts of toxic elements can be avoided, after testing. Products routinely tested are:

	Cereals and cereal products
	Edible Oils, fats and derived products
	Nuts, Fruits, Vegetables and delivered products
	Sauces, herbs , spices and condiments
	Sugars and sugar confectionery
	Dairy products
	Meat, poultry and derived products
	Non-alcoholic beverages
	Food additives and supplements
	Animal feeds

Testing of packaging materials for their physico-chemical properties, safety and transport worthiness.

Migration testing for food-grade quality of plastic packaging materials. Evaluation of finished packages for performance under simulated storage and distribution conditions Major Equipments GCMS, HPLC, GC With ECD, FID XRF- Spectrometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer.

Contact Us at : care@spectro.in