Dry Fruits Testing & Nuts Testing
Dry fruits and nuts are widely consumed for their rich nutritional profile, including proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, antioxidants, and essential minerals. However, ensuring their safety, quality, and regulatory compliance is critical due to risks such as microbial contamination, pesticide residues, heavy metals, and adulteration. Contaminated or poor-quality products can pose significant health risks and lead to regulatory non-compliance, affecting both domestic and international trade.
Eurofins provides comprehensive and advanced testing solutions for dry fruits and nuts, enabling businesses to maintain superior quality, ensure consumer safety, and meet stringent regulatory requirements. Our global network of accredited laboratories employs state-of-the-art analytical techniques to detect contaminants, verify authenticity, and assess nutritional composition with high precision.
Testing Services
Quality & Safety Testing
Eurofins ensures the highest quality and safety of dry fruits and nuts through thorough nutritional, chemical, microbiological, and physical assessments to meet regulatory and consumer expectations.
Key Testing Parameters
Nutritional Composition:
- Fat Content: Essential for energy value, taste, and texture in nuts and seeds.
- Protein Content: Important for dietary claims, nutritional labelling, and protein-rich products.
- Carbohydrates & Fibre: Determines energy value and digestive health benefits.
- Mineral Content: Includes calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, potassium, and phosphorus to validate nutritional claims.
Microbiological Safety:
- Total Plate Count (TPC): Determines overall microbial load and shelf stability.
- Yeast & Mold Count: Assesses fungal contamination, a common issue in dried fruits and nuts.
- Pathogen Testing (Salmonella, E. coli, Wisteria, Staphylococcus aureus): Ensures the absence of harmful microorganisms that can cause food borne illnesses.
Contaminants & Adulterants:
- Aflatoxins & Mycotoxins: Detects harmful mould metabolites (Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, and Ochratoxin A) that can be toxic even in small amounts.
- Pesticide Residues: Verifies compliance with Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) to prevent chemical exposure.
- Heavy Metals: Ensures levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic do not exceed safety limits.
- Adulteration Testing: Detects the presence of synthetic colours, mineral oil, starch, or non-edible additives used for weight enhancement or appearance improvement.
Freshness & Stability:
- Moisture Content: Critical for determining shelf stability and preventing fungal growth.
- Peroxide Value: Measures oxidative rancidity in nuts and dried fruits, affecting shelf life.
- Shelf-Life & Stability Studies: Simulates real-world storage conditions to evaluate product stability and longevity.
Regulatory Compliance & Standards
Eurofins ensures that dry fruits and nuts comply with international and national food safety regulations, including:
The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2018, defines dried fruits as fruits or nuts from which water is removed to prevent microbial growth. These include products like dried fruit leathers, cashews, almonds, raisins, figs, copra, prunes, and other dehydrated fruits.
Guidelines for dried fruits and nuts:
- Must be free from mould, insects, and rot.
- Should have uniform colour, pleasant taste, and flavour, free from rancidity or fermentation.
- No added coloring.
Must meet FSSAI standards, including:
- Extraneous vegetable matter: ≤0.1%
- Damaged/discoloured units: ≤2%
- Acidity of extracted fat (oleic acid): ≤1.25%
EU Regulations
- Food Safety: Governed by Regulation 178/2002/EC.
- Labelling: Must comply with Regulation 1169/2011/EC for allergens and nutrition.
- Residue Limits: Follow Regulation 2023/915 for contaminants.
Advanced Analytical Techniques
To provide precise and reliable testing results, Eurofins employs cutting-edge analytical technologies such as:
- Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry: Detects even trace levels of pesticides, mycotoxins, and harmful chemical contaminants in dry fruits and nuts.
- Microbiological Testing: Utilizes advanced methods such as PCR and ELISA to detect pathogens with high sensitivity.
- Spectroscopy & Elemental Analysis: Determines nutrient composition and detects heavy metal contamination with high accuracy.
Specialized Services
Eurofins offers customized solutions to meet the specific quality and safety needs of dry fruit and nut manufacturers:
- Aflatoxin & Mycotoxin Testing: Essential for ensuring compliance with global food safety standards and export certification.
- Rancidity & Oxidation Testing: Evaluates oxidative stability to prevent product degradation during storage and transport.
- Foreign Matter Detection: Ensures products are free from shell fragments, husks, stones, or insect contaminants.
- Allergen Testing: Detects allergens such as peanuts, tree nuts, and sulfites, ensuring proper labelling for consumer safety.
Consultation & Support
In addition to testing, Eurofins provides expert advisory services to help businesses:
- Achieve Regulatory Compliance: Guidance on meeting safety and quality regulations for local and global markets.
- Improve Product Quality & Risk Management: Identification of potential risks and implementation of preventive measures.
- Optimize Manufacturing & Storage Conditions: Recommendations to enhance shelf stability, prevent contamination, and maintain product integrity.
Global Testing Network
With a vast international presence, Eurofins ensures seamless quality control and compliance for dry fruit and nut businesses across different markets. Our global testing network supports both domestic and export-oriented industries, helping companies navigate international food safety requirements effortlessly.
