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.
Researchers recently demonstrated the inadequacy of an industry standard quality test—Laboratory Pasteurization Count—for raw, organic milk, as it cannot sufficiently differentiate between groups of bacteria.
Funded by the Center for Produce Safety, a University of Georgia researcher is leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve the standard method for detection of viruses on foods, and then will use the method to study infectious norovirus persistence on berries.
A new company, Confience, born through a merger of two existing companies, has announced its vision to provide a new standard in laboratory information management system (LIMS) software, applicable to lab and quality professionals in the food and beverage sector.
As part of the agency’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a report detailing the results of targeted inspections and microbiological testing of leafy greens grown in Salinas Valley, California during the region’s 2022 harvest season.
Phenomenex Inc. recently launched PhenoAcademy, a practical, step-by-step online educational program focused on chromatography, which has multiple applications in food and beverage analysis.
A recent study has analyzed methods of environmental monitoring for Listeria monocytogenes in food production facilities, comparing two alternative methods against a traditional culture-based method.
Researchers from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have developed a method of detecting toxic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging, water, and soil samples in three minutes or less.
Maryland House Bill 97, also known as “Rudy’s Law,” would require baby food manufacturers to test products for toxic heavy metals and make the results available to consumers
Ongoing debates about the use of rapid microbiological test methods in food safety have led to the rise of many questions about the future of this type of testing. This column will explore which methods are being used, food processors' views on what attributes of the tests are most important, how fast is fast enough, and what even faster tests would enable them to accomplish. It also explores where the growth may continue and whether rapid methods used in commercial labs will continue to drive growth, or if a plateau is likely. Growth in regions outside of the U.S. and Europe will also be examined, along with whether rapid testing technology is evolving to the point where it may be acceptable to bring back the analysis to an in-plant lab.
On Demand:Join subject matter experts as they review getting to the core problem (root cause analysis). The session will include break-outs and case studies to train analysis teams.