Food

ALIMENTARY AND AGROZOOTECHNICAL LABORATORY

The alimentary and agrozootechnical laboratory performs a wide range of determinations, they are different in accordance with the analyzed matrices and with the aim of the test.
The laboratory is able to analyse the beverage and all the alimentary matric es of human and zootechnical use (finished products and semi-finished products).

The most performed analysis is the proximate analysis (for the determination of humidity, proteins, fats, fiber, ashes, and carbohydrates) together with it, the laboratory performs more specific analysis. Their aim is to determine the analyzed foodstuff profile, to classify it and to determine the nutritional and energy intake.

The laboratory, indeed, is able to find:

	n the proteins the aminoacidic composition and the nitrogenous fractions(non proteinous nitrogen, nitrogen soluble in water or pH 4.6,insoluble nitrogenous fraction),
	in the fatty fraction, the assay of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated and the content of cholesterol and phospholipids,
	in the fiber , the fraction soluble and insoluble (or in the case of zootechnical product the fibrous fractions “NDF”, “ADF” and “ADL”);
	in the ashes , the value of insoluble ashes in hydrochloric acid (to verify the presence of silicates and ashes deducted by the sodium chloride (in case of bread or stuffed pasta), addition to the assay of metals necessary to the daily need (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and so on) or unwanted metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, nickel, chromium, and so on),
	in the carbohydrates, the sugar fraction in the starch
	in the dietetic products, the content of sweetener and organic acid, natural and non natural.

Other determinations are requested to verify that the finished foodstuffs and their semi-finished products are suited to binding force of the law or to technical specifications of supplying.

To this reason the laboratory performs analysis that permit to determine:

	acidity, pH, water activity, volatile fatty acids, peroxide number and Kreiss test (on fat or on lipid fraction),
	the assay of volatile basic nitrogen, of histamine and of biogene amines,
	in the meat, the assay of hydroxyprolin and of collagen
	in cheese and dairy products, the presence of furosine and lysinoalanine, to verify the possible product adulteration,
	in the oil and in the fats, the acidic and sterolic composition, the palmitic and stearic acid content in position 2, the content of steroid hydrocarbons and of wax,
	The content of additives (glutamic acid , polyphosphates, citrates, nitrates and nitrites, formic aldehyde. ethyl alcohol, some thinkers, dyes and so on),
	The content of active principles, such as caffeine and the theobromine, of sweetener, such as aspartame, acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, creatine, carnitine, Q10 coenzyme, free aminoacid and liposoluble and water-soluble vitamins

The used methods in this division are principally official methods or methods recognized by centres to international level. In the case of lack of methods or if the methods are not more suitable, the laboratory realized valid and efficient internal methods.
The most performed tests are SINAL accredited.
The staff is composed by 7 bachelors and 23 qualified technicians of laboratory. They are qualified and trained, with years of experience. They are divided in five groups with specific product division, test or technical analytical specializations.

Every year each operator takes part to internal and external training courses organized by companies that provide equipments or by public or private centre. In this way, he has the possibility to improve his training and at the same time be updated on new technologies and applications.

Instruments of Agrozootechnical laboratory

The department covers an area of approximately 800 sq. m. , and it is equipped with cutting-edge automatic and semiautomatic instruments. They are always conditioned and ready to be used and in most cases dedicated to perform a single determination.

The most important instruments are:

	11 gascromatographes, each equipped with two columns
	1 gas –mass
	8 HPLC equipped with 7 UV-Vis-DAD detectors
	2 detectors to index of refraction
	2 fluorimetric detectors
	1 mass-liquid
	2 HPLC for the chromatography with ionic exchange with amperometric and conductimetric detector
	1 ICP-MS for metal determinations
	1 ICP optic for metal analysis
	1 FIMS for mercury analysis
	2 capillary electrophoresis
	2 nitrogen analysers in accordance with Dumas method
	4 infrared analysers
	spectrophotometer, spectrofluorimeter, polarimeter, refractometer
	rancimat, instrument for the determination of water activity, instrument for thermogravimetry, alveograph, farinograph.