Testing and analysis help ensure food safety and quality by determining if pathogens, chemicals, or allergen residues are present in the processing environment or food products.
Air and water monitoring involves the monitoring and testing of air and water quality in the processing line of a facility. Test results help determine if acceptable standards are being met for a range of parameters that influence food safety and quality.
Allergen testing seeks to determine the presence of foods or food residues that are classified as allergens in foods or beverages that are not labeled as containing those foods. Class 1 allergens, which encompass the Big 9, are of the greatest concern in allergen testing.
Chemical testing and analysis examine the artificial or undesired chemicals that may make their way into food and water, including those from agricultural practices, food processing, or packaging.
Environmental testing involves the microbiological sampling of food contact surfaces or nearby areas to test for the presence of pathogens or indicator organisms. An environmental monitoring program (EMP) includes pathogen swabbing to detect risk in the sanitary conditions of the processing environment and is a verification of the effectiveness of pathogen controls in place at a facility.
Laboratory management is concerned with the management of testing procedures, control measures for sampling, reporting of pathogen findings, and laboratory accreditation.
Testing and analysis methods include processes and procedures in use or under development for performing microbiological testing, product sampling, environmental monitoring, etc.
Microbiological testing seeks to identify the presence of bacterial pathogens, viruses, and parasites on food contact surfaces, in agricultural water and soil, and in food products. Frequent swabbing to determine if pathogens are present on food processing equipment is an important part of a sound environmental monitoring program (EMP) at a facility.
Sampling programs for food examine a certain portion or product units of a particular lot of the same food as a representative of the quality and safety of the food. Sample prep for laboratory testing involves the preparation of samples for testing.
Ancera has released a new suite of comprehensive monitoring tools to provide poultry industry-allied companies with real-time, third-party evidence demonstrating their product efficacy against microbial hazards.
Phenomenex Inc.’s expanded “Design for PFAS” product portfolio features 15 additions to addresses a critical challenge in per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) analysis—false positives stemming from sporadic contamination and interferences.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $611,000 to University at Albany researchers to develop a rapid, portable, colorimetric Salmonella detection kit for food products.
As the platinum sponsor of the 2024 Food Safety Summit, NOMADX Holdings LLC has unveiled at the event an early access program for its portable NOMADX platform for onsite foodborne pathogen detection.
Thermo Fisher Scientific has introduced a new semi-quantitative analysis tool that simplifies inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), enabling the identification of unknown samples.
FDA recently revealed results of a survey that found HPAI H5N1 genetic material in one in five retail milk samples; additional testing is required to understand the possible
presence and risk of intact, infectious virus. Supported by other studies showing the efficacy of pasteurization against HPAI, FDA maintains its position that the U.S. milk supply is safe.
To address the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a federal order that requires testing of dairy cows for the virus, as well as mandatory reporting.
A Biosurveillance Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (BISR) system would address two mission-critical requirements for biosurveillance to detect and prevent outbreaks: rapid detection and predictive analysis.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently published testing results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS) in foods collected as part of its Total Diet Study (TDS), and has provided an update on the agency’s activities to better understand and address PFAS in the U.S. food supply, including an updated analytical method to measure the chemicals.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have achieved simultaneous detection of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in real-world samples, on-site and within an hour, using a handheld electrochemical device.