Food testing
Food testing is the most basic element of quality assurance in food production. The manufacturer should ensure the safety of food intended for consumption throughout the entire period of its presence on the market, i.e. from the moment of production to the moment of purchase by the consumer, without exposing the consumer to dangers resulting from the deterioration of the microbiological and physicochemical quality of the product during its shelf life. Deterioration of product quality may occur as a result of physical, chemical or microbiological factors. Many elements influence the durability and stability of a product over time, the most important of which are proper preparation (preservation) of the product, storage and transport conditions.
The worst effect of spoilage of a food product is its infection by pathogenic bacteria. Consuming such a product may cause illness or even death. The most dangerous bacteria found in food include Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and the common Escherichia coli.
Food testing in production
Nowadays, food production is subject to many legal regulations that impose many obligations on the manufacturer. One of them is production quality control within the system of hazard analysis and critical control points. The produced batch of food may be released for sale only after obtaining a positive test result. However, a positive test result immediately after the production of a food product does not guarantee that it will be maintained over time. The appropriate maintenance method should be selected already at the “design” stage of a new product. In order to confirm whether the food product does not spoil within the expiry date declared by the Manufacturer, storage tests are performed. The product’s resistance to changing storage and transport conditions is confirmed by load tests. During such tests, the finished product is subjected to, among others, sudden changes in temperature and/or humidity, long-term exposure to high temperatures and mechanical tests intended to reproduce the product’s behavior during transport.
Types of food testing
Food testing can therefore be divided into physical, chemical and microbiological tests. The scope of research and requirements for food are described in relevant legal provisions, both EU and national.
Most often, these regulations also define the test methods that should be used for food analyses. The microbiological requirements that food should meet are, for example, described in Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007 of December 5, 2007 on the microbiological criteria that food should meet.
The Ekolabos laboratory offers a wide range of food tests. Our offer is addressed to both large producers and mass catering facilities. We encourage you to contact our Customer Service Office to learn about the detailed offer.
