 |
|
Laboratory director Karilyn Gonzales loads Salmonella ELFA strips into the Vidas unit under observation by an IAS assessor. |
|
Food testing laboratories offer analytical testing services to support investigations focused on laboratory testing of food, pharmaceutical and consumer products. The International Accreditation Service (IAS) recently assessed the capabilities of one such laboratory, Food Microbiological Laboratories, Inc., in Garden Grove, California. The laboratory is capable of analyzing all kinds of food-related materials for pathogens such as Salmonella and Staphylococcus, or to evaluate freshness of food products or sanitation procedures such as aerobic plate count, yeast and mold, or even monitoring possible environmental contamination by evaluation of the "indicator organisms" such as Coliforms and E. col.
The food chemistry is limited to two parameters (pH and water activity) mostly for food material (sauce, ketchup, etc.) but the lab said they will expand their scope in this area if enough interest is shown by their customers.
Food Microbiological Laboratories achieved IAS accreditation in September 2009. |
