Food Testing Services

Food Testing:

Nutritional testing, which gives information on the content of essential constituents like Protein, Fat, Carbohydrates, Energy, necessary Vitamins, Minerals and fatty acid composition like SAFA, PUFA, MUFA and trans fat, needs to be carried out on food products. Shiva also generates nutritional charts visible on most packed food products, which determines whether all ingredients listed are within prescribed limits. Testing is also carried out to determine contamination of food by certain food borne pathogens that can cause acute diseases in human beings.

Chemical
1. Testing for Hazardous Substances
   - Toxic metals
   - Residual pesticides
   - Residual antibiotics
   - Microbiological contaminants
   - Toxins

2. Nutritional labeling of Food - Compositional analysis for protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals

3. Analysis for preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, banned dyes, added synthetic colors

4. Shelf life studies at accelerated weathering

5. Food borne pathogens

6. Facilities for Food Supplements: Testing is carried out as per the Draft Document of WHO, Canadian, Indian and European Guidelines for the following:
   - Toxic metals
   - Pesticide residues
   - Micro-organisms
   - Residual solvents and organic volatile impurities
   - Residual ETO / Glycol
   - Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin
   - Shelf life studies at accelerated weathering

7. Food Hygiene Audit: Facilities for conducting Food Hygiene Audit, as the preventive measure for the quality control / assurance are available. Specific recommendations may also be provided as the corrective action.

8. Packaging Material:
   - Migration studies global & specific
   - Toxic metals as per EC directive
   - Strength properties
   - Permeability studies
   - Residual gases

9. Shelf life studies are carried out as per ICH guidelines as per accelerated storage.

10. Melamine testing in food products

Microbiological
1. Food Products (Raw and Processed)
   - Total plate count and coliform count
   - Yeast and mould (fungi) estimation and identification
   - Food borne pathogens
   - Vitamins assays
   - Anaerobic bacteria like clostridium perfringens & sulphite reducing bacteria
   - Thermophillic bacteria in sugar
   - Hygiene audits
   - Lactobacillus bacteria
   - Stability studies

2. Herbal Products
   - Total viable count, total fungal count & total enterobacteriaceae count
   - E.coli, p.aeruginosa, S.aureus, Salmonella & Clostridium perfringens
3. Disinfectant Fluid
   - Determination of RWC & SAC
   - Efficacy studies

4. Petroleum Products
   - Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial count

5. Miscellaneous
   - Antimicrobial activity of soaps
   - Antimicrobial activity of scavanger sample
   - Fungus resistance test on printed circuit boards
   - Water purifiers
   - Antibacterial coatings on Textiles / Leather
   - Effect of UV on micro-organism

Instruments used: ICP-MS, ICP-OES, GC-MS, GC-ECD/NPD, GC-TCD/FID, HPLC-UV/RI/Fluoro, FTIR, UV-Vis, EDXRF, Stability Chamber

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