FOOD TESTING SERVICES

EATING SAFER FOOD

Food Safety is a scientific discipline which describes the handling, preparation, processing and storage of food in ways to prevent food-borne illnesses. With increasing health awareness, the emphasis is on consuming safer food in our everyday life.

Guidelines, procedures, food safety systems and food safety codes have been implemented worldwide by different international organizations such as WHO (World Health Organization), and introduced at different countries by their own regulatory agencies to ensure that food is safe for consumption and to reduce the incidence of food poisoning. In Malaysia, this matter is overseen by our Food Safety and Quality Division (previously known as Food Quality Control Division), Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia via Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985. Food testing plays a vital role in ensuring the safety of food. At BP Healthcare, food testing is carried out in accordance with the quality control requirements of HACCP/ISO, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) & Halal certifications. Through food testing, we can determine & ensure that the food does not have the following: Excessive bacterial counts Excessive preservatives/additives Prohibited colouring Pathogenic bacterials Heavy metals contamination Pesticides contamination Adulteration with prohibited chemicals Adulteration with antibiotics/drug residues Non-compliance with specific claims Not on par with the specific food standards Non-compliance with labeled nutrition facts as per Food Act & Regulations. Different edibles are subjected to different testing:For poultry and seafood products, investigations for the following are essential: microbiology, antibiotics (chloramphenicol & nitrofuran metabolites), drug residues (beta-agonists), heavy metals (lead, mercury, & cadmium) and chemicals (formaldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, sulphur dioxide, & phosphate).

Fruits & vegetables require heavy metals and pesticides testing while processed food (raw materials and end products) require microbiology, heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, tin, & antimony), preservatives (benzoic acid, sorbic acid, & sulphur dioxide), artificial colouring, and nutrition facts analysis. Since most food contains preservatives to prevent the food from deteriorating, the amount of these preservatives is controlled via food testing as excessive amount can be harmful to health.

Other than testing the food itself, food safety also involves microbiological examinations of the food processing environment. Food contact surfaces are tested using swab tests, and bacterial colonization and contamination are controlled via air sampling. Water used for food processing is also analyzed for quality control. In 2009, BP is committed to further investing on another two new high-end analytical systems with higher sensitivity and specificity. GC/MS (Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry) for lower detection and quantitative analysis of volatile compounds eg. alcohol, fatty acids, pesticides, etc. LC-MS/MS (Liquid Chromatography Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry) for lower detection and quantitative analysis of non-volatile compounds eg. melamine, drugs, antibiotics, etc.