Chemistry
Leatherhead Food Research's dedicated UKAS-accredited laboratories provide a fast, reliable and competitively priced analysis service as well as specialised research projects.
Testing foods at a chemical level can help to ensure that it meets consistent standards and quality. It can also provide accurate data to meet regulatory and consumer requirements - for example, on the concentration of vitamins added as fortificants for package labeling.
Our range of routine analytical testing services includes:
Nutritional analysis
Leatherhead Food Research's comprehensive UKAS accredited nutritional analysis service include all analyses required for Group 1 and Group 2 nutritional labeling, as well as omega 3 and 6 and trans fatty acid analysis and a full range of vitamin and mineral testing.
Vitamins and Minerals
Leatherhead Food Research has a long established UKAS-accredited vitamin testing service which uses a combination of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the latest biosensor technology, significantly improving the accuracy and consistency offered previously by microbiological techniques. Leatherhead Food Research is able to offer fast and efficient screening services for a comprehensive range of minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, sodium and zinc) and heavy metals by ICP (Inductively coupled plasma) technology.
Allergens
Leatherhead provides a range of procedures to test for allergens, including UKAS accredited enzyme linked immuno-sorbant assay (ELISA), analysis of allergen levels in swabs (to check for contamination of production lines), assays for lactose and sulphur dioxide, and DNA based assays.
Meat speciation
Using ELISA procedures we can test either raw or cooked meat samples for beef, sheep, pork and poultry.
Taints and contaminants
At Leatherhead we can deploy both chemistry and sensory analysis to help identify the sources of taints, with sensory analysis helping to identify a range of potential compounds that can be targeted for chemical analysis. Gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GCMS) - is employed as it is one of the most selective techniques available for the analysis of volatile organic compounds.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants - a term covering a range of compounds in foods - are of great interest due to their ability to prevent deterioration of foods and increasingly due to their potential health benefits. Measurement of antioxidants may be carried out using ‘total antioxidant' assays or by analysis of defined compounds.
To learn more about our Analytical and Chemistry services please contact Antony Bagshaw.
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