It is widely acknowledged nowadays in the food industry that a quality control system is a method of helping a company succeed and sustainable in the long term. Laboratory testing of food products is an important method for detecting issues with food items based on experimental analysis. Food product testing is the most critical step, as it could be the last process in the food supply chain since it decides the safety of the food for use. Testing of food items is important to guarantee the food is protected from physical, chemical, and biological hazards. Metals, e-coli pathogens, salmonella, cleaning additives, ingredients, preservatives, pesticides, and more are several instances of possible dangerous food pollutants.
What is Laboratory Testing of Food Products?
The scientific analysis of food and its ingredients is the food product test. Information regarding different characteristics of food, like shape, composition, and physicochemical properties, is given. For other purposes, food product research is often conducted:
- To assess a food product’s quality. It is used to check the food manufacturer’s statements on such topics, such as the products used, for example.
- For control over quality. This is required to assess the quality of food products and the final product before, after, and after the production process.
- Food inspection and grading are undertaken on a routine basis to ensure that food producers comply with the laws and standards defined.
- Food items must have a standardized nutrient label; it is also important to evaluate food products in order to validate the statements produced.
- For producers to improve and supply decent, high-quality, safe, and inexpensive food, research and development are necessary; this involves researching and evaluating food items currently on the market.
- To safeguard a producer from rumours. You have already noticed numerous food items being labeled unsafe in the market by rivals or other gossip mongers; those rumours may be filtered out through food testing.
How Do You Test a Food Product?
Testing of food items may be conducted using many technologically specialized techniques, many of which offer reliable knowledge regarding the nutritional content and quality of the food. The most popular food product testing methods are:
Analytical Chemistry Testing
Involves chemically separating and analyzing the different components of the food product, including PH, additives, preservatives, colors, contaminants, and so on.
Sensory Testing
This is the most basic method of testing, which involves using the human senses: sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell.
Food Nutrition Analysis
An analysis of value and the nutritional content in foods and food products. It provides information for nutrition labeling on food packaging that manufacturers are required to include to comply with the labeling regulations of destination countries. Therefore, manufacturers and importers/exporters should be fully aware of the applicable laws and regulations of a country before offering their foods for distribution there.
Food Microbiology Testing
The study of the microorganisms that inhabit or contaminate food help manufacturers assess the safety of raw materials, components, ingredients, and final products, thus guaranteeing the safety of food products. Testing for spoilage organisms and pathogens may be used to examine and prevent food poisoning outbreaks caused by food products and ingredients. This is important, as the whole supply chain may be contaminated in the process of food production.
Food Allergen Testing
Food allergens are proteins that can appear in large quantities and often remain in food processing. The requirement is to find the target allergen in the ingredients and finished products. The allergens that must be tested for in food products include gluten in grains, peanuts, eggs, nuts, milk, and soybeans.
Importance of Laboratory Testing of Food Products
For the research and development of new goods, laboratory testing of every food product is essential, including, for example, the choice of ingredients or materials, food processing design, shelf-life studies, and sensory assessment of products. When designing new goods, this is the sort of knowledge that food scientists require. Compliance with requirements for both the manufacture and sale of food goods to multiple countries is another advantage of laboratory research. The control of food is meant to safeguard public health and consumer welfare. Laboratory monitoring of agricultural products helps to show that items are correctly formulated for public health and protection by eliminating three causes of a hazard:
- Biological risks: derived from hazards such as salmonella and E-coli that are microbial bacterium.
- Chemical hazards: pollution of chemicals used in cultivation and the manufacturing processes of raw materials such as antibiotics, pesticides, and plant growth compounds, as well as food additives such as preservatives, and chemicals used in manufacturing/processing facilities, such as gasoline, grease and machines and machinery cleaning agents.
- Physical hazards: foreign substances in food, such as glass, metal parts, plastic, or wood, that may trigger sickness or damage to the user.
The food substance test facility is currently provided by the Dubai Municipality and Dubai Central Laboratory. In order to guarantee that they are free of pathogenic bacteria and hazardous chemicals and that they conform with licensed local and foreign requirements, this service helps you to verify the consistency and protection of food items.
There are three facilities for evaluating various food items at the Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL). The first is the Food Validity Period Extension Facility, which studies and measures various forms of samples in order to assess the duration needed for the food substance to be accurate. The second service is to diagnose commercial trafficking in fresh and cooked beef, by the use of enzyme-associated immunosuppressive technologies. The third service is for the identification of bacterial infections such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella bacteria, and E-coli. Using a technique of molecular detection with precision and speed, displays findings within 42 hours.
The aim of these tests is to ensure the quality and protection of products and to keep them free from commercial fraud and pathogens which, in accordance with ISO 17025 laboratory quality standards, lead to food poisoning.
Riz and Mona Consultancy
If you are searching for laboratory testing of food products in Dubai; and you want to complete the whole process without any trouble; we will give you the whole solution of the situation at Riz and Mona Consultancy. We have several years of experience in the establishment of companies in Dubai as well as in other UAE emirates. To book your appointment with our expert advisors, message us today.
