Importance of Food Testing

COVID-19 cases have been increasing day by day; although food might not be a direct transmitter of the virus, but food surface, its quality, and processing techniques, etc can possible be the reason for transmission. This can also damage to the brand as well as to the reputation of the Indian Food Industry, which is why food testing by Accredited and Certified laboratories is a must to ensure safety and hygiene of food products.

Food product testing is considered as the most important step despite being the last process of the food manufacturing chain. Food product testing is vitally necessary, to assure that the food is free of physical, chemical, and biological hazards and also determines the safety of the food for use. Examples of potentially hazardous food contaminants include metals, pathogens, cleaning agents, additives, preservatives, pesticides, adulterants, and more. Food product testing also refers to the scientific analysis of food and its contents to provide information about characteristics of food like its structure, composition, and Physico chemical properties.

In India, regulations set up by FSSAI are most vital and should be followed and monitored regularly.

Food testing is crucial for food industries for many reasons as it covers wide range of requirements like

Testing the quality of a product
Quality control
Food inspection and grading
Food authenticity check
Testing for adulterants
Nutritional labelling
Food nutrient content analysis
Shelf-life analysis
Sensory evaluation

How Food Testing can benefit food production business

Customers: Protects and guaranteed prevention to customers from food-borne diseases.
Manufacturers: Assures product safety, approval to enter the market, and aids in brand reputation which in turn, leads to an increase in business ventures.

Techniques that take place in a food testing laboratory:

Analytical chemistry testing: This helps to identify, separate and even find the quantity of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials in the food product such as pH, additives, nutrients, preservatives, contaminants, minerals and much more.
Microbiology testing: This food testing helps food manufacturers identify the microorganisms that inhabit the food and understand the safety of the raw materials used in food production, ingredients as well as the final product. This is also used to test and examine spoiled pathogens to prevent food poisoning outbreaks that are generally caused by the products and the ingredients used in the products. This is also a necessity otherwise the whole supply chain can be contaminated and disrupted in the process of food production, leading to not only a danger to the general public but also a hefty loss of money.
Food allergen test: Food allergens are proteins that appear in huge quantities. It helps to find the main target allergen in the ingredients and finished food product. Normally allergens are tested in food products such as peanuts, gluten in grains, eggs, nuts and milk, etc.
Nutritional analysis: This area in food testing provides accurate information on the nutritional content of food products. This gives manufacturers the required details to include it on food packaging and ensure that they are following all compliances and labelling regulations.

Why Eurofins Analytical Food Testing Laboratory?

Eurofins is the world leading Food Testing laboratory group, deploying a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art analytical techniques in order to support its clients' increasingly stringent quality and safety standards.

We are present in India as Eurofins Analytical Services India Pvt Ltd and provide a comprehensive and one-stop testing service to businesses and organizations involved in food and feed processing, Agro products, Export, Hospitality and Retail chains.

The Eurofins Advantage

Competence Centers with state-of-the-art equipment such as high-resolution GC, HPLCs, GCMSMS, FTIR, ELISA, HR-MS, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, Real-time PCR and NMR systems
Fast turn-around time (TAT)
Local contact with a Global Network
Participation in industry associations and regulatory bodies allowing early advice on potential food scares and legal obligations
Expert advice - testing schemes, on-site-check for hygiene and allergens, labelling advice and traceability
Results you can rely on
International presence