There has been a notable increase in awareness among consumers and the food products they consume. Their growing demand for appropriate food products has led to the advancement of the best food safety practices in the food industry.
Additionally, the high outbreak of foodborne diseases in many states has led to increased concern and thorough investigation of foodborne pathogens. For this reason, there’s currently a notable increase in the demand for microbiological testing of food products.
What is microbiology testing?
During food production, the majority of food products come into contact with various microorganisms. While most of these are harmless, others may contaminate your food product and lead to health complications.
Microbiology testing identifies these harmful microorganisms and treats them quickly before the products get into the market. Or after an outbreak occurs. Depending on your preferred laboratory, the results may come back in as little as two days.
The test may also get used to uncover harmful contaminants including E.coli and bacteria such as Salmonella.
You must be honest with the microbiology testing laboratory concerning why you want to get the test done. And if you suspect microbial contamination has already happened. That way, the professionals can employ the correct testing tools and methods in effectively treating any underlying issues with precision.
With the tools, the professionals can pinpoint any presence of microbiological contamination. And address this to help your product get back into the market.
Why perform microbiology testing for your food products?
Any beverage or food company can benefit from microbiology testing services. Whether your product will get consumed directly by customers or in a restaurant, you need to ensure that it is within the FDA guidelines. That ensures that all your food products are safe for consumers.
Some of the reasons for microbiological testing include:
- Improve consumer’s health
As a business in the food and beverage industry, you have control over ensuring the safety of your food products.
Microbiological tests assure the safety of your products and that they will not harm their consumers.
If any harmful contaminants get discovered, the ideal laboratory helps find you trace them and guides you in choosing the best solution to fix your food product before selling it to customers.
- Comply with federal regulations
Federal regulations call for testing of all food products before you can send them to the market. And that includes microbiology tests.
Even though microbiology testing makes up only a portion of the required test required to ensure food safety, it is crucial.
- Find the ideal solutions after an outbreak.
If there’s an outbreak, the best laboratory offers support services that will help you regain FDA compliance to manage your products during this time. The right treatments will help fight off any microbiological contamination in your food almost immediately.
The best microbiology testing lab has capabilities. These could include quantitative enumeration of indicators and spoilage organisms, qualitative pathogen detection. And microbiological toxin detection services.
Choosing the best microbiology testing laboratory
Ensuring that your food products are safe from any microbiological contaminants is a top priority to consider before sending them to the market. And that is why you need to choose the best microbiology testing lab for your needs.
Some of the tips to look out for when choosing a microbiology testing lab include:
- Accreditation
Accreditation is one of the most crucial qualifiers you need to consider when choosing a microbiology testing lab.
With the correct accreditation and licenses, it shows that the laboratory is practicing at the highest level. And industry standards. That could include ways such as; customer satisfaction leadership, safe working environments, quality personnel, accurate results and tests, testing process, and so on.
When you choose a microbiological testing laboratory that is not accredited, you risk not achieving high accuracy levels in your samples.
Also, unaccredited and unlicensed labs may lack the appropriate machines for testing. And show less accountability for delivering accurate results.
Remember to ask the microbiological laboratory about their internal quality and testing policy. That will guarantee that they practice high-performance standards.
- Do they have the best methods to ensure accuracy in reporting?
When choosing a microbiology testing lab, you want to choose one designed to ensure accuracy in results and safety. That way, you can guarantee transparency between the lab and your business.
The microbiological lab should mention how they intend to carry out tests, offer solutions, and their accountability policies. That way, the chances of inaccurate results are minimal.
- Do they have systems that help in identification?
Some microbiological labs follow industry best practices, while others create the best practices in the industry.
Developing a proprietary system shows a higher expertise level and investment in microbial identification science.
- Highly trained analysts
When choosing a microbiology laboratory, you want to consider one with experienced and highly trained analysts. That way, you are assured of appropriate and reliable results for your food products.
You may want to assess how long this laboratory has been in existence. The more years in the food industry, the better their level of expertise and skills. You might want to steer away from those who are just new to this since they may be inexperienced.
- Customer service
The ideal microbiological laboratory has outstanding customer service. That may include offering round-the-clock services and responding to inquiries on time. Their contacts should get displayed on their site. And have ready staff to expound and guide you on the best testing services for your product needs.
You also want to choose a microbiology laboratory that has stellar reviews. You can ascertain this by looking at their website and reliable sites such as Google. You want to consider one with top ratings. And can offer the best testing services for your needs.
You may also consider recommendations from trusted businesses. That will save you time and money.
Final thoughts
The microbiological laboratory you choose is crucial. You want to consider one that promises accurate results. And fast turnaround times. The lab should also be a partner who ensures a smooth microbial process. And that your product quality is uncompromised in any way.
