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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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