The ‘EnvoLab’ laboratory regularly determines the microbiological status of the products, ensuring their hygiene and suitability for consumption, as well as compliance with regulatory requirements. In the microbiological section of the laboratory, tests are carried out to detect and quantify pathogenic microorganisms, as well as microorganisms that cause food contamination or are general hygiene indicators. Common nutrient microorganisms are used for this purpose in combination with confirmatory tests (biochemical and / or serological).
In particular, microbiological analysis of foods includes:
Detection and identification of pathogenic micro-organisms (micro-organisms responsible for foodborne diseases), such as:
Listeria monocytogenes
Salmonella spp.
Vibrio spp.
Clostridium perfringens
Bacillus cereus
Campylobacter spp.
Staphylococcus aureus
Counting of microorganisms that cause food deterioration or are general hygiene indicators, such as:
Total Aerobic Bacteria
Oxygenating bacteria
Coliforms
Enterobacteriaceae
Escherichia coli
Pseudomonas spp.
Yeasts and fungi
At the same time it undertakes qualitative and quantitative tests of chemical analysis, in cases where special control of foodstuffs is required, such as analysis of their nutrients, screening for possible presence of undesirable residues and determination of oxidation of fats.
Examples of available chemical tests include:
the determination of humidity,
of ash,
of fat,
of proteins,
the profile of fatty acids,
of carbohydrates,
of vitamins,
of trace elements,
dietary fiber etc