Environmental Analysis with Integrated Labs
What is Environmental Analysis?
Environmental analysis (or testing) entails taking swabs of food contact surfaces or nearby areas to test for the presence of a pathogen, allergens, or indicator organisms.
Why is Environmental Testing Necessary?
Contaminants in food and the environment are harmful to our life. With more and more reports on food safety, contamination of the environment and daily supplies, and drug safety problems, the public is becoming increasingly concerned about health issues.
Plus, with the ever-increasing use of chemicals and other harmful contaminants in production areas it’s crucial to test your product environments to ensure they’re safe for human consumption.
What is the Method to Test My Environment?
We will have you use a swab testing method.
By swabbing environment surfaces, equipment, and utensils, business owners and food regulators can learn how clean the environment is and find out if there are any pathogens present.
Environmental Testing Available:
- Coli / Coliform (cleanliness)
Specific plate counts indicate fecal contamination and general sanitation in food production environments. - Environmental Listeria
Listeria is often called a “ubiquitous organism” because it can be found in almost any environment. Food manufacturers are particularly concerned with Listeria. It’s frequently found in raw meat, poultry, milk, vegetables, soil, open water, animal feces, and other common locations. - APC (general micro growth)
Aerobic Plate count (APC), also known as total viable count or aerobic colony count, refers to the total number of culturable bacteria (per volume or area) in a given sample. General plate counts indicate microorganism levels in a product and reveal sanitation levels in the production process - Yeast & Mold
Yeasts and Molds cause various degrees of deterioration and decomposition of foods. They can invade and grow virtually on any type of food, at any time; they invade crops such as grains, nuts, beans, and fruits in fields before harvesting and during storage. They also grow on processed foods, food mixtures, and finished products.
What Will I Need To Do To Test My Environment?
Working with Integrated Labs is as easy as 1-2-3!
- Contact us: Fill out the form on our Contact Us page and ask about the environmental testing that we offer.
- Send us your samples: Once the lab confirms your testing is available, you’ll let us know if you will be sending your own swabs or if you need swabs from us. Then you’ll ship the swab samples to us. Please note that environmental swabs may need expedited shipping with ice packs to preserve the viability of the samples.
- We test your product: The Lab will test your samples and will send you the Certificate of Analysis.
