Parameters to be measured for food testing

Physical testing – color, specific gravity, bulk density, true density, water activity, viscosity, total soluble solids, refractive index, acid value.

Chemical and Nutritional analysis

Chemical analysis – moisture, protein fat, ash, carbohydrate, reducing and non reducing sugars, starch, total calories, pH, acidity etc.

Nutritional analysis – minerals (iron, calcium, phosphorous etc), vitamins (Vit A, Vit C, Thiamine, Riboflavin, niacin folic acid etc), dietary fiber, beta carotene, lycopene, chlorophyll, anthocyanines, tannins, trypsin inhibitor, phytates etc.

Microbiological Tests - Aerobic Plate Count (APC), Yeast & Mold, Total Coliforms & E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli O157:H7, Anaerobic Plate Count, Aerobic Spore Former Count, Lactic Acid Becteria Count, Anaerobic Spore Former Count, Thermophilic Aerobic Spore Former Count, Thermophilic Anaerobic Spore Former Cont etc. 

Contaminants and Toxins – aflatoxins, mycotoxins, pesticide residues,

heavy metals, trace metals, antibiotic residues.

Water Quality – physical (clarity, color, odour and taste, turbidity), chemical (TS, bardness, alkalinity, acidity, pH, nitrates, nitrites, free ammonia, chlorides, sulphates, COD, BOD), microbiological (plate count, faecal coliforms)

Food Ingredients – food additives and preservatives (sodium chloride, sulphur dioxide, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid etc.), antioxidants (gallates, BHA etc), Synthetic colors (amaranth, erythrosine, sunset yellow, tartrazine NS, indigo carmine, brilliant black BN, annatto), artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, sucralose).