Food analysis and testing

Food analysis looks at the sensory, chemical, microbiological and physical properties of food and drink, and is an important part of quality assurance, regulatory compliance and product development. Food analysis is required for a wide variety of reasons - from testing suitability for purpose, through checking shelf-life or authenticity, to assuring legal compliance. It is important to use the correct analytical tool in order to get meaningful answers to questions.

We have a food testing laboratory that can perform chemical and microbiological analyses. We also have extensive expertise in food testing including the analysis of the physical properties of foods, the identification of chemical, microbiological and physical contaminants (e.g. glass, insects, stones and metal), determining whether a food is what its label says it is, and the evaluation of how a product tastes and what the consumer thinks of it. We are also involved in developing and evaluating the methods themselves.

We also carry out specialist analyses for wheat and flour and beer.

Cereals and milling services

We offer a comprehensive analytical and testing service to support the needs of the milling and baking industries. The service includes comprehensive cereal, flour and dough rheology testing. The expertise driven service is supported by extensive particle reduction and measurement facilities. The laboratory provides testing accredited to ISO17025:2005 by UKAS.

Analysis of alcoholic drinks and their raw materials

Analysis is essential in ensure the quality and safety of alcoholic drinks and their raw materials and ingredients. Our analyses cover barley and malt, beer, wine and spirits, cider and kombucha. Contact us to discuss how we can help you.

Key services

Chemical analysis

Understanding the chemical make-up of your products is essential.

Physical contaminants

Identification of unwanted physical objects present in a product.

Packaging down the microscope

Microscopy use a range of techniques to examine packaging materials including plastic and metal.

Structure and physical properties

Methods for objective characterisation of food structure and physical properties.

Method development and evaluation

Development of a robust methods for analysis and testing.

Foreign body identification

Identification of unwanted physical objects present in a product.

Foreign body identification scheme

Run independently from our own foreign body laboratory, the FOBS scheme enables other laboratories to check their competence in the identification of foreign bodies.

Cereals and milling services

Cereals and milling testing services information, pricing and submission.