Food quality and spoilage - chemical issues
Chemical food spoilage is an unwanted quality change in a foodstuff, such as staling, discoloration, the development of off-flavours and odours (e.g. rancidity), and thinning of sauces. It can be caused, for example, by enzymic or microbial activity, oxidation or external tainting. Understanding these changes is required before action can be taken to slow them down or prevent them. Campden BRI has wide-ranging expertise in a variety of areas which can help you identify the cause of the problem:
- Texture – such as the thinning of sauces from starch degradation.
- Colour – including discoloration of meat, fruit or vegetables.
- Off-odour and Off-flavour:
- - Breakdown of proteins in meat.
- - Taint from packaging, environment or processing.
- - Rancidity from lipid oxidation or hydrolysis.
Enzyme analysis can give an indication of adequacy of blanching and heat processing/cooking, and many texture, flavour and colour issues can be caused by specific enzyme activities -amylase, polygalacturonase, lipase, polyphenoloxidase, lipoxygenase, peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase and so on.
Food quality training courses
Explore our food quality related courses including; Meat technology, Product assessment and Supplier quality assurance – foundation
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Also in chemistry
- Nutritional analysis An extensive range of nutritional analysis capabilities.
- Vitamin analysis Important to nutritional analysis and understanding the effects of processing.
- Trace metal analysis The detection of metals or their compounds at very low levels.
- Natural toxins and allergens Analyses to see if a hazard exists in your products.
- Residue and contaminant analysis Analysis of contaminants or pesticide residues in a product.
- Melamine analysis Rapid, sensitive method for determining melamine and cyanuric acid levels.
- Authenticity testing Is your product what it says it is?.
- Food quality and spoilage - chemical issues Expertise in a variety of areas to help you identify quality and spoilage issues.
- Pesticide analysis Authoritative information and analytical testing.
- Acrylamide testing Ways to reduce the levels of acrylamide in products.
Where we refer to UKAS Accreditation
The Campden BRI group companies listed below are both accredited in accordance with the recognised International Standard ISO17025:2017 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The accreditation demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope of methods, specific to each site, as detailed in the schedules of accreditation bearing the testing laboratory number. The schedules may be revised from time to time and reissued by UKAS. The most recent issue of the schedules are available from the UKAS website www.ukas.com
Campden BRI (Chipping Campden) Limited is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 1079 Campden BRI (Nutfield) is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 1207