Food Product Testing

What you eat affects your health and growth.

Food testing is important for safe and quality food products. Today, the food industry is increasingly subjected to competition. Therefore, food testing analysis is mandatory in compliance with food safety regulations to ensure healthy lifestyle. Contamination in the food products can also cause damage to the brands reputation. So, food testing, food packaging testing, packaged food testing are very much important to avoid further effects.

Alpha Test House, accredited, full service analytical laboratory, specializes in microbiological analysis for the food, beverage and Environmental industries. Food safety is an integral part of the production of all foods and the shared responsibility of all segments of the supply chain. In recent times there has been increased awareness for the need to evaluate the food safety practices in the production of agricultural products. We have extensive experience and the analytical capability in:

FOOD PRODUCT ANALYSIS

Dairy Products Testing:

Dairy products testing includes analysis for milk, cheese, other dairy products, as well as products containing ingredients derived from milk, cheese, and other dairy products. These tests are done to determine ash, alkalinity, dispensability, Fat, milk fat, Lactose, Milk Solids, Non – fat, moisture, minerals, Microbiological tests, Protein by Kjeldhal method, Combustion, solids (total) in milk, titrable acidity and vitamins.

Organic Food Testing:

Organic food is supposed to be free from synthetic chemicals and governed with strict guidelines. USFDA Certified is the label to look for when spending extra money on organic foods. Organic food does not mean chemical-free, it just means it is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. The organic food testing helps in finding out about the presence of these pesticides and fertilizers.

Nutritional/Food Labeling:

"Nutritional Facts" label was introduced as part of regulations in many countries. But on September 19, 2008, The Ministry of Health and family welfare had mandated packaged food manufacturers to declare nutritional information on their product labs. The label informs consumers of the nature, contents, quantity and quality of the food. It also provides information on the source of the food.

Ready to Eat Food Labeling:

Food labeling offers a great deal of information on most packaged foods. The label offers complete, useful and accurate nutritional information. The government encourages food manufacturers to improve the quality of their products and help the consumer make healthier food choices. The consistent format helps consumer to directly compare the nutritional content of various foods.

Shelf Life Estimation:

The shelf life of a food can be defined as the time period within which the food is safe to consume and/or has an acceptable quality to consumers. The shelf life of a product begins from the time the food is prepared or manufactured. Its length is dependent on many factors including the types of ingredients, manufacturing process, type of packaging and how the food is stored. It is indicated by labeling the product with a date mark. Shelf Life estimation test are done by microbiological examination, chemical, physical and sensory evaluation.

Fatty Acid Composition Analysis:

Current interest in fatty acids and trans-fatty acids in food materials has been increasing. Fatty acid is an organic acid found in fats, oils, and lipids. It can be classified according to chain length, short chain (2-4 carbons), middle chain (5-10 carbons), and long chain (more than 11 carbons). The tests for fatty acids are performed to obtain its complete profile.

Vitamins in Food:

Vitamins are substances that our body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins our body needs. They are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate). Accurate vitamin testing is essential to ensure that declared levels are correct, especially if a company is making a claim about a product. Our laboratory provides the latest, most reliable and sensitive techniques to analyze for a wide range of vitamins.

Minerals in Food:

Minerals help our body grow, develop, and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to perform many different functions — from building strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. The two kinds of minerals are: macro minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulphur and trace minerals (iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium). Our test offers a comprehensive range of accredited tests to satisfy regulatory requirements.

Pesticide Residue Analysis:

Pesticide Residue Analysis in agricultural commodities is an important component to assess the human safety since the pesticides are necessarily used to control the various kinds of insects and pests and to increase crop production. Pesticide residue analysis tests are done to identify and quantify the residues from very complex food matrices.

Gluten Free Food Test:

Gluten is a protein complex found in wheat, barley, rye and triticale. Agluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease. Being gluten intolerant can often mean a person may also be wheat intolerant as well as suffer from the related inflammatory skin condition dermatitis herpetiformis. Gluten free food test are done to know about the amount of gluten present in food.

Beverages Testing

Consumption of good quality beverages and juices has positive impact on the health of consumers. To be at the forefront of beverage industry, the quality of the juices and drinks has to be excellent. So, there is need for Food and Beverage Testing.

Drinking water Testing

Drinking Water and fresh air are the unavoidable reasons for life. More than 70% of human body is composed by water. But unfortunately, only 3% of water available across the globe is fresh water and only half of that is available to humans. In developing countries like India, population growth combined with industrial development is hard pressing on water demand resulting in the shrinkage of water table.

PBB and PBDE are flame retardants used in several plastics.

The maximum concentrations are 0.1% or 1000 PPM (except for cadmium, which is limited to 0.01% or 100 PPM) by weight of homogeneous material. This means that the limits do not apply to the weight of the finished product, or even to a component, but to any single substance that could (theoretically) be separated mechanically—for example, the sheath on a cable or the tinning on a component lead.

List Of food Analysis

1. OILS & FATS ANALYSIS

COCONUT OIL	MUSTARD OIL	SOYABEAN OIL
COTTON SEED OIL	OLIVE OIL	MAIZE OIL
GHEE (BUTTER FAT)	PALMOLEIN OIL	TIL OIL (GINGELLY OR SESAME OIL)
GROUND NUT OIL	RAPESEED GROWN ABROAD OIL (TORIA KA TEL)	VANASPATI (HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL)
LINSEED OIL	POPPY SEED OIL	VANASPATI (VEGETABLE OIL)
IMPORTED SAFFLOWER OIL(HIGH OLEIC ACID)	REFINED VEGETABLE OIL(PALM OIL)	EDIBLE FATS
MAHUA OIL	SAFFLOWER SEED OIL (BERRY KA TEL)	MARGARINE AND FAT SPREAD

2. FOODGRAINS, PULSES & CEREAL PRODUCTS

ARHAR DAL	MACARONI PRODUCTS (SUJI OR MAIDA PRODUCTS)	PULSES & FOODGRAINS
ATTA	MAIDA	RICE
BESAN	MAIZE	SEMOLINA (SUJI OR REWA)
CHANA WHOLE	MALT BASED FOOD(MALT FOOD)	SOLVENT EXTRACT SOYA FLOUR
CORN FLAKES	MALTED MILK FOOD	URAD WHOLE
CORNFLOUR(MAIZE STARCH)	MASUR DAL	URD DAL
CUSTARD POWDER	MASUR WHOLE	WHEAT
DAL CHANA	MOONG DAL	WHEAT PORRIDGE (DALIYA)
FORTIFIED ATTA	MOONG WHOLE	WHOLEMEAL BARLEY POWDER OR CHOKER YUKT JAU KA CHURAN
FORTIFIED MAIDA	PEARL BARLEY (JAU)
JAWAR AND BAJRA	STARCHY FOOD

3. INFANT & OTHER SUPPLEMENTARY FOODS

GENERAL PARAMETERS IN INFANT MILK FOOD AND MALTED SKIMMED MILK FOOD-

GENERAL PARAMETERS IN PROCESSED CEREAL WEANING FOODS

4. SPICES & CONDIMENTS

AJOWAN (BISHOPS SEED)	FENUGREEK (METHI) WHOLE
ANISEED (SAUNF) WHOLE	GENERAL PARAMETERS IN CURRY POWDER/GARAM MASALA/MEAT MASALA/CHANA MASALA
CARAWAY BLACK (SHIAHJIRA) WHOLE	LARGE CARDAMOM (BADI ELAICHI) WHOLE
CARDAMOM (CHOTI ELAICHI) WHOLE	MACE (JAIPATRI) WHOLE
CHILLIES AND CAPSICUM (LAL MIRCH) WHOLE	MUSTARD (RAI, SARSON) WHOLE
CHILLIES AND CAPSICUM (LAL MIRCHI) POWDER	NUTMEG (JAIPHAL) WHOLE
CINNAMON (DALCHINI) WHOLE	PEPPER BLACK (KALI MRCH) POWER
CLOVES (LAUNG) WHOLE	PEPPER BLACK (KALIMIRCH) WHOLE
CORIANDER (DHANIA) POWDER	SAFFRON (KESAR)
DRIED MANGO POWDER (AMCHUR)	TURMERIC (HALDI) POWDER
FENNEL (SAUNF) WHOLE	TURMERIC (HALDI) WHOLE

5. SUGAR & SUGAR PRODUCTS

BHURA SUGAR	ICING SUGAR
CUBE SUGAR	KHANDSARI SUGAR
DEXTROSE MONOHYDRATE	LIQUID GLUCOSE
DRIED GLUCOSE SYRUP	MISRI
GENERAL PARAMETERS IN SUGAR	PLANTATION WHITE SUGAR
GOLDEN SYRUP	RAW SUGAR
GUR OR JAGGERY	REFINED SUGAR
HONEY	SUGAR USED IN FOOD PRESERVATION INDUSTRY

6. MILK & DAIRY PRODUCTS

MILK	DAIRY BASED DESSERTS /CONFECTIONS
CHEESE (RIPENED, MOULD RIPENED, UNRIPENED, PROCESSED, CHEDDAR, DANBO, EDAM, GOUDA, HAVARTI, TILSITER, CREAMED COTTAGE, COULOMMIERS	EVAPORSTED/ CONDENSED MILK & MLIK PRODUCT
MILK POWDER	BUTTER, GHEE & MILK FATS
DAHI OR CURD	CHAKKA AND SHRIKHAND
CREAM	FERMENTED MILK PRODUCTS
MALAI	WHEY PRODUCTS
CHHENA OR PANEER

7. OIL SEEDS AND BY PRODUCTS

MUSTARD SEED

CASTOR SEED

8. TEA AND COFFEE PRODUCTS

CHICORY	COFFEE	INSTANT COFFEE	TEA
SOLUBLE COFFEE POWDER	GREEN TEA	GENERAL PARAMETERS IN COFFEE-CHICORY MIXTURE

9. FRUITS & VEGETABLE PRODUCTS

APPLE JUICE PRESERVED BY PHYSICAL MEANS SPECIFICATION	FRUIT BAR /TOFFEE
THERMALLY PROCESSED FRUITS & VEGETABLES	TOMATO SAUCE, PUREE AND PASTE
FRUIT & VEGETABLE JUICES	VINEGAR
CHILLI & SOYABEAN SAUCE	PICKLES
FRESH FRUITS & VEGETABLES	NUTS & RAISINS
FRUIT CORDIAL CONCENTRATES, FRUIT SQUASH CONCENTRATES, FRUIT SYRUP CONCENTRATES, FRUITS NECTARS	MANGO JUICE
FRUIT SQUASHES, FRUIT SYRUPS & FRUIT CORDIALS, READY TO SERVE FRUITS BEVERAGES, SHARBATS	DEHYDRATED PEAS
JAM, JELLLIES, MARMALADES, MURABBA	ORANGE JUICE
MALT VINEGAR/ VINEGAR	PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

10.BAKERY & CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS

BISCUITS	READY TO EAT -PROTEIN RICH – EXTRUDED FOODS
BREAD (ALL TYPES OF BREAD)	SUGAR BOILED CONFECTIONARY
GENERAL PARAMETERS IN BAKERY / CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS	CHEWING GUM AND BUBBLE GUM
NAMKEEN	CHOCOLATE
PROTEIN ENRICHED BISCUIT	TOFFEE

11. NUT AND NUT PRODUCTS

GROUNDNUT

PEANUT

12 . MEAT  AND MEAT PRODUCTS

CANNED CORNED BEEF	CANNED CHICKEN
CANNED LUNCHEON MEAT	CANNED MUTTON AND GOAT MEAT
CANNED COOKED HAM	FROZEN MUTTON , CHICKEN,GOAT AND BUFFALO MEAT
CANNED CHOPPED MEAT	FISH AND FISH PRODUCT

13.TOBACCO AND TOBACCO PRODUCTS

CHEWING TOBACCO

RAW TOBACCO

PAN MASALA

14. ALCOHOLIC & NON ALCOHOLIC DRINKS/BEVERAGES

BEER	WINE	RUM
JUICES	CARBONATE BEVERAGES	CONCENTRATES

15. EDIBLE SALT

COMMON SALT

IODIZED SALT

VACUUM EVAPORATED IODIZED SALT

16. ANIMAL FEED 

PET FOOD	FISH MEAL
POULTRY FEED	COMPOUNDED FEEDS FOR CATTLE

17. SNACKS & READY TO EAT FOODS

PACKED/CANNED GULAB JAMUN	READY TO EAT SNACKS
PAPAD	ROASTED GROUND NUT/PEANUT KERNELS
POTATO FRENCH FRIES	CANNED RASOGOLLA SPECIFICATION

18. FOOD PACKAGING MATERIAL TESTING

OVERALL MIGRATION TEST IN PLASTIC MATERIAL AND OTHER ARTICLES
Overall Migration and Specific migration for articles coming in contact with foodstuffs as per EU and USFDA requirements
CORRUGATED FIBREBOARD BOX TESTING	FOOD GRADE PACKING & WRAPPING PAPER

19. NUTRITIONAL LABELLING

BISCUIT AND COOKIES	BAKERY PRODUCTS	DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
CAKES	DAIRY PRODUCTS	PROTEIN POWDER
NAMKEEN	MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS	MALT BASED FOOD (MALT FOOD)
CHIPS	CANDIES AND SWEET	HEALTH DRINK
READY TO EAT FOODS	PICKLES,SAUCES	INFANT FOOD
COOKED FOOD	MACARONI PRODUCTS	PROCESSED FOODS
SPICES

20. FOOD ADULTERANTS ANALYSIS

MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS

SPICES

OILS AND FATS etc.

21. FOOD ADDTIVES ANALYSIS

PRSERVATIVES

ANTIOXIDANTS

ARTIFICAL SWEETNER etc.

22. SHELF LIFE STUDY IN FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS

PHYSICAL PARAMETERS	CHEMICAL PARAMETERS
ORGANOLEPTIC PARAMETERS/SENSORY PARAMETERS	MICROBIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS etc.

FATTY ACIDS AND CHLOSTEROL  ANALYSIS

BISCUIT AND COOKIES	NAMKEEN	READY TO EAT FOODS	PROCESSED FOOD etc.
OIL AND GHEE	CHIPS	COOKED FOOD

PESTICIDE RESIDUE  ANALYSIS IN FOOD AND FOOD PRODUCTS

ORGANOCHLORINE	PYRETHROID	ORGANONITROGEN COMPOUND etc.
ORGANOPHOSPHOURS	CARBAMATES

VITAMINS  ANALYSIS IN FOOD PRODUCTS LIKE DAIRY, HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS etc

VITAMIN A	VITAMIN B2	VITAMIN B6	VITAMIN E
VITAMIN B1	VITAMIN B3	VITAMIN D

SUGAR PROFILE ANALYSIS IN FOOD PRODUCTS LIKE SUGAR AND SUGAR PRODUCTS,HONEY, BAKERY PRODUCTS,PROCESS FOOD PRODUCTS

GLUCOSE

SUCROSE

MALTOSE

LACTOSE

FRUCTOSE

MYCOTOXINS/CROP CONTAMINANTS FOOD GRAINS AND CEREAL AND CEREALS PRODUCTS etc.

AGARIC ACID

SAFFROLE

HYPERCINE

HYDROCYANIC ACID

URIC ACID etc..

AFLATOXINS B1, B2 & TOTAL, M1, Pataulin, Ochratoxin etc.

FOOD GRAINS

MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS

CEREAL AND CEREAL PRODUCTS

PULSES etc.