Analytical Systems and Consultancy Services
Introduction
DFRL also helps the industry with various analytical systems and services. Products forwarded by trade are tested for their chemical, bio-chemical, nutritional and microbiological quality. The Laboratory has excellent testing facilities and is well equipped with various sophisticated analytical instruments like GC, GCMS, GLC, HPLC, UV spectrophotometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, Lovibond TintometerFTIR, NIR etc. Facilities for testing the compatibility of various packaging materials (with foods) and their physical standards also exist. A well equipped animal house enables nutirtional and safety evalutation of a variety of foods.
The various analytical services available from the Laboratory are summarised as follows
Analytical Services Available
I. Chemical Tests
- Proximate Analysis (Fat, Protein, Moisture, Total Ash & Crude Fibre)
- Vitamin Estimation - (A,C, E)
- Fatty Acid Composition of Oil/Fat
- Nickle Estimation in Vanaspati
- Elemental Analysis in Food by atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer
- Sugar Composition by HPLC (RI Detection)
- Total & Reducing Sugars (Fehling Method)
- Water Activity
- Peroxide Value
- Free Fatty Acid Estimation
- PUFA
- Salt Content in Foods
- Dietary Fibre (inducing soluble & insoluble fibre)
- Brix
- Titratable Acidity
- PER (Permission from Animal Ethics Committee has to be taken)
- Antioxidant activity
- i) Total Phenols
- ii) Total Flavonoids
- iii) Tannins
- Caffeine
- Total Cholesterol
II Packing Material Testing
- Shelf-Life Estimation
- Commercial Sterility Test for Thermally Processed Foods
- Extractive Test in one Solvent
- Folding Endurance
- Tensile Strength
- Bursting Strength
- Thickness of Packaging Films
- Tear Strenght
- Melt Flow Index
- Total Migration
- Gloss Value
- Impact Resistance
- Seal Strength
- Trail Batches of retort pouch processing of one product of quantity note more than 25 Kgs. (Excluding the cost of food raw materials & packaging materials; if pouch has to be provided by DFRL, Mysore additionally Rs. 4.00 per pouch will be charged from the firm.)
III Microbial Tests
- SPC
- Yeast & Mold
- E.coli
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Coliforms
- Salmonella
- Total microbiological Profile Consisting of 6 above Tests
- Amines in Sea Foods and Meat
- Water Analysis (E.coli, Coliforms & Total Solids)
The Laboratory has developed some analytical test kits for faster evaluation of deteriorative changes in foods.
For further information please contact :
Defence Food Research Laboratory
Ministry of Defence,
Mysore - 570011
