NAL works with quality parameters set for food quality and safety by testing raw food, ingredients, and final product testing.
Food safety testing often requires analyzing materials at various stages of preparation to ensure safety from the handling of raw ingredients all the way through packaging a finished product. Environmental tests are part of that process, but only in the sense that the testing ensures that the environment food is prepared in does not cause unwanted bacteria and pathogens or promote spoilage in the form of yeast, mold, lactic acid, and other forms of decay.
A brief overview of New Age Laboratories’ food safety testing methods is explained below using the example of a blueberry as it is picked, prepared, and included in a finished product.
Raw Materials Testing
The blueberry itself may need to be tested for the level of mold or yeast found on the plant. The presence of either substance doesn’t necessary mean that the crop must be discarded, but rather that further testing is required to ensure that the substances have been properly abated prior to being included as an ingredient.
Ingredient Testing
Before being used as an ingredient, the blueberries must be retested to ensure that any harmful substances have been adequately removed through washing or other processes.
Final Product Testing
Final product testing evaluates whether the harmful substances have been eliminated from the food in its prepared form. This phase of testing also asses whether the finished product is packaged safely in terms of minimizing spoilage and preventing contamination.
If a client were utilizing fixed lab testing for the final product they may need to implement a “hold in place” system to allow time for batches of products to be tested prior to distribution. While this process eliminates a potential recall, it also lengthens the time a product waits between preparation and consumption.
This is where using a mobile lab increases efficiency by producing faster test results and ensuring that the product reaches consumers at its peak.
Learn more about New Age Laboratories’ testing methods and how we can help move your projects forward faster.
Quality Commitment
New Age Laboratory (NAL) provides not only scientifically sound, well documented, and regulatory compliant data, but also the highest quality service experience available in the industry. NAL’s Quality System is designed to provide a framework for continuous improvement within the organization, minimize systematic error, and to encourage constructive, documented problem solving.