========================================================== SHRIRAM INSTITUTE FOR INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (SRI), BENGALURU (A Unit of Shriram Scientific and Industrial Research Foundation) ========================================================== Address: Plot No. 14 & 15, Sadaramangala Industrial Area, Whitefield Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka - 560048 Contact: 080-35000500, 28410165 / 167 / 172 Email: info@shriraminstitute-blr.org, info@shriramscientific.com Website: www.shriramscientific.com ========================================================== ANALYTICAL SCIENCE DIVISION (ASD) - OTHER COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES ========================================================== ---------------------------------------------------------- 1. ALLERGEN TESTING ---------------------------------------------------------- An allergen is a substance that can cause an allergic reaction. In some people, the immune system recognizes allergens as foreign or dangerous. Food Allergen labelling is an important requirement especially for food exports into highly regulated markets such as US, Europe, Australia, Japan, and the Middle East. The labelling primarily identifies the presence of ingredients containing protein derived from milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, or soybeans, which may result in allergies or intolerance. Vegetable Allergens: - Cereals containing gluten - Peanuts and products thereof - Nuts (e.g. almonds, hazelnut, walnut, cashews, pecan nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, macadamia or Queensland nuts) - Lupin and products thereof - Mustard and products thereof - Celery and products thereof - Sesame seeds and products thereof - Soybeans and products thereof Animal Allergens: - Milk and products thereof - Fish and products thereof - Eggs and products thereof - Molluscs and products thereof - Crustaceans and products thereof ---------------------------------------------------------- 2. ANIMAL FEEDS AND PET FOODS ---------------------------------------------------------- Animal feed and pet food market is subjected to increased demands in terms of quality testing and flavor testing. Pet food testing will be more accurate when certified, accredited labs conduct tests using guaranteed analysis. Pet food safety is based on a model given by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Nutritional Labelling: Any food product is required to have a full range of nutritional analysis which covers: - Proximate composition - moisture, fat, protein, ash, fiber - Determination of Carbohydrate - Total Sugar, added sugars & dietary fiber - Fatty Acid Profiling - saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, trans fats - Vitamins, minerals and other trace elements - Cholesterol Other Chemical Tests: - Additives like propylene glycol, BHA, BHT, and various food dyes - Allergens Testing - Antibiotics Residues - Pesticides Residues - Heavy metals - Mycotoxins ---------------------------------------------------------- 3. ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUE TESTING ---------------------------------------------------------- Veterinary drugs residues are used within animal husbandry to cure and prevent diseases, and also to increase weight gain and tranquilise during transportation. Contaminants like antibiotic residues can be harmful for both human as well as animal consumption, even if present at low concentrations. It is therefore necessary to ensure that these antibiotic residues are within the defined guidelines for Maximum Residue Limit (MRL). Products: - Meat and meat products - Poultry - Crustaceans and shellfishes - Fish and fish products - Egg and egg products - Milk and milk products - Ready Meals Parameters: - Chloramphenicol - Nitrofurans - Furazolidone - Furaltadone - Nitrofurazone - Nitrofurantoin - Nitrofuran Metabolites - AOZ - AMOZ - SEM - AHD - Tetracyclines - Oxytetracycline - Chlortetracycline - Doxycycline - Beta-agonists - Clenbuterol - Salbutamol - Mabuterol - Sulfonamides ---------------------------------------------------------- 4. FOOD NUTRITIONAL LABELLING (PROXIMATE ANALYSIS) ---------------------------------------------------------- There has been increasing global interest in nutrition labelling as a policy tool through which governments can guide consumers to make informed food purchases and healthier eating decisions. Nutrition labelling includes nutrient declarations, which should be mandatory for pre-packaged foods and for defined nutrients; and supplementary nutrition information, which includes front-of-pack labelling. With greater convenience in making healthier food choices, the nutritional labelling testing concept emerged in India, and today it is mandatory that the nutritional information of almost all processed foods should be displayed on food items. SRI analytical laboratory, being a global leader in food testing, conducts complete label claim testing for all nutritional parameters. SRI offers a wide variety of chemical testing on diverse food products and raw materials, and also performs quality control services for finished products. Parameters: - Moisture, Ash, Protein, Fat, Carbohydrate, Energy - Other Specific Analysis - Antinutrients - Amino acids - Complete proximate testing (including total dietary fibre) - Lipid and fatty acid analyses by following mainly wet chemistry and GC methodologies - Specific fatty acid content - Saturated fat - Monounsaturated - Polyunsaturated - Trans fat - Omega-3 and Omega-6 - Cholesterol - Microbiological assays - Mineral and inorganic analysis - Allergens - Contaminants (pesticides, mycotoxins and antibiotics) - Stability and shelf-life testing - Vitamins (A, D, E and B complex, C) - Calcium - Iron - Sodium - Total Dietary Fibre - Potassium - Total Sugar and Added Sugar ---------------------------------------------------------- 5. HEAVY METALS AND MINERALS ---------------------------------------------------------- Heavy metals are chemical elements with a toxic effect on the human body. The expansion of industries has led to significantly increasing levels of these constituents in the environment. Heavy metal presence in different food substrates (such as fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products, meat and meat derivatives, oils, and alcoholic beverages) provides an overview of the current situation worldwide, taking into account the fact that risks for human health are present. Minerals detection of food and feed can help determine the right daily portion and the level of supplements needed. Identifying the harmful minerals in the food and feed can avert possible health problems and also prevent them from entering the food chain, which may be harmful for human consumption. Products: - Fresh fruits and vegetables - Dried fruits (including concentrates, powders etc.) - Fruit juices and concentrates - Tea, Coffee, Cacao - Baby food - Cereals - Rice - Beverages, Wine and spirits - Fish & Fish products - Meat & Meat products - Herbs & Spices - Oleoresin - Flavours - Dairy products - Fats and Oils - Tobacco - Feed - Drinking-, ground- or surface water - Candies - Honey - Pet food - Animal feed Parameters: - Aluminium - Copper - Iron - Cobalt - Manganese - Selenium - Silver - Zinc - Cadmium - Lead - Mercury - Methyl mercury - Nickel - Arsenic - Chromium - Tin - Magnesium - Calcium - Potassium - Sodium - Phosphorous - Sulphur - Fluoride - Chloride ---------------------------------------------------------- 6. MYCOTOXIN TESTING ---------------------------------------------------------- Shriram Institute for Industrial Research (SRI) offers comprehensive analysis of Mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxins produced by certain moulds (Fungi) and can be found in food. The moulds grow on a variety of different crops and foodstuffs including cereals, nuts, spices, dried fruits, apples and coffee beans, often under warm and humid conditions. Mycotoxins can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to both humans and livestock even at low concentrations. The adverse health effects of Mycotoxins range from acute poisoning to long-term effects such as immune deficiency and cancer. SRI offers a comprehensive risk-oriented Mycotoxins testing portfolio. This includes screening and confirmatory methods for all regulated and a range of additional Mycotoxins. It is complemented by sampling services and homogenization of large sample quantities. Products: - Crops (corn, wheat, rye, barley, among others) - Cereals - Bread and cookies - Dried fruits - Nuts, kernels and flours - Herbs and spices - Milk and dairy products - Coffee, cocoa - Beverages (e.g. beer, wine) - Baby food - Meat and meat products - Egg and poultry products - Oils and fats - Convenience food - Basmati rice and other varieties - Confectionery - Dietary food - Food additives - Fruits and vegetables - Grains and cereal products - Tea, herbal tea, fruit tea - Pet food - Animal feed Parameters: - Aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) - Aflatoxin M1 - Ochratoxin A, B - Deoxynivalenol - Citrinin - Patulin - Fusarium - Ergot alkaloids ---------------------------------------------------------- 7. PESTICIDE RESIDUE ---------------------------------------------------------- Pesticide residue refers to the chemicals that remain on food after they are applied to food crops. The use of pesticides has increased significantly over the past several decades as it increases yield of crops and makes them resistant to disease and pests. Overuse of pesticides leads to accumulation of harmful chemical residues in plant products which work their way through the food chain and become more concentrated as they move from one creature to another. These concentrated residues can have significant health impacts even in small amounts, warranting the need for development of stringent regulatory standards and their compliance. Each country adopts their own regulations and standards for MRL (maximum residue limits) as the usage of pesticides varies from country to country, and so does the level of food additives usage. Products: - Fresh fruits and vegetables - Dried fruits (incl. concentrates, powders etc.) - Fruit juices and concentrates - Tea, Coffee, Cacao - Baby food - Cereals - Rice - Beverages, Wine and spirits - Fish & Fish products - Meat & Meat products - Herbs & Spices - Oleoresin - Flavours - Dairy products - Fats and Oils - Tobacco - Feed - Drinking-, ground- or surface water - Candies - Honey - Pet food - Animal feed Parameters (groups of chemical residues analysed at SRI): - Organochlorine pesticides - Organophosphorous pesticides - Synthetic pyrethroids - N-methyl carbamates - Chlorophenoxy herbicides - Dinitrophenolic herbicides - Quats and other herbicides - Insect repellents - Fungicides - Rodenticides - Fumigants - Disinfectants - Triazines - Pyrimidines - Triazoles - Carbamates - Dicarboximides - Benzimidazole - Dithiocarbamates - Nicotinoids - Dinitrophenol - Aliphatic Nitrogen fungicides - Morpholine - Natural Product Derivative - Substituted Thiourea ---------------------------------------------------------- 8. VITAMINS ---------------------------------------------------------- Vitamins are a group of substances that are needed for normal cell function, growth, and development. These vitamins are required for the body to work properly. Vitamins are grouped into two categories: Fat-soluble vitamins: - Stored in the body's liver, fatty tissue, and muscles. - The four fat-soluble vitamins are Vitamins A, D, E, and K. - These vitamins are absorbed more easily by the body in the presence of dietary fat. Water-soluble vitamins: - Not stored in the body. - The nine water-soluble vitamins are Vitamin C and all the B vitamins. - Any leftover or excess amounts leave the body through the urine. - Must be consumed regularly to prevent deficiencies. - Exception: Vitamin B12 can be stored in the liver for many years. SRI is capable of testing all vitamins by the latest technology and worldwide acceptable methodologies. Spectrum for Vitamin Testing: Fat-soluble vitamins: - Vitamin A - Carotene - Vitamin D2 / D3 (ergocalciferol / cholecalciferol) - Vitamin E - Vitamin K Water-soluble vitamins: - Vitamin B1 (thiamin) - Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - Vitamin B6 (pyridoxin & pyridoxamin & pyridoxal) - Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) - Niacin (nicotinic acid & nicotinamide) - Pantothenic acid - Biotin - Folic acid - Vitamin C