Microbiology testing in the food sector is crucial for ensuring the safety and quality of products, thereby securing consumer trust. Every food quality program should include measures to control microbiological contaminants and mitigate contamination risks.
We understand that accurate and timely data are crucial for verifying the effectiveness of safety systems against bacterial pathogens. Our global network ensures rapid testing turnaround from sample arrival at our accredited labs. We offer comprehensive analytical services for all types of microorganisms and food matrices.
Empower your Quality Management with Reliable Analytical Solutions
Our experts are dedicated to protect consumers by:
- Identifying contaminations in your raw materials, manufacturing environment or finished products
- Determining shelf-life
- Managing risks from the manufacturing environment
- Investigating recurrent product defects and contamination
- Improving your processes and layouts to reduce risks
- Anticipating risks of contamination within the supply-chain
Our experts and our network of laboratories are providing a large range of technical solutions to help you anticipate, identify and reduce contamination in your products.
Control Contaminations in Products
- Establish a robust control plan both for your finished products and for your raw materials.
- Get rapid test results thanks to our wide network of laboratories, always close to your operations.
- Our microbiological tests are performed through cultural methods or rapid methods depending on your wishes and criticality of your products.
Manage Positive Results: Strain Identification
In case you are facing a positive result for contamination, you can identify the type of strain responsible for the contamination, which will help conduct an efficient root-case analysis. We offer strain differentiation and organism typing services, including:
Root-cause Analysis
Our team of consultants can perform a root-cause analysis to help you figure out where the contamination comes from, understand if there is a risk of it being recurrent and how to mitigate it with effective cleaning or other types of action.
Control your Production Environment
Contaminations often come from the manufacturing environment: even with stringent cleaning practices, unexpected spots can become sources of contamination.
Through training and consulting, our team can assist you in establishing a well-considered Environmental Monitoring Program, your frontline defense against product safety failures. Our specific tool EnviroMap is supporting hundreds of food manufacturers in managing the risks in their production environment and facilitating day-to-day management of quality controls.
Microbiology Food Testing: Specific Solutions by Microorganism types
Microorganisms come in various types, and the analytical approach varies based on what you’re searching for.
Bacteria & Toxins Testing
Bacteria and toxins are the most commonly tested microorganisms. Our full range of microbiological detection methods enables you to guarantee the quality of your food products by ensuring they are pathogens-free.
- Listeria monocytogenes
- Salmonella
- Legionella pneumophila
- Escherichia coli STEC, including O157
- Vibrio spp.
- Clostridium perfringens
- Bacillus cereus
- Cronobacter spp (Enterobacter sakazakii)
- Campylobacter
- Enterotoxins
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Shiga toxins
Indicator & Industrial Microorganisms Testing
Our recognized expertise in industrial microorganism testing can help you control quality and safety at different stages of product development.
Virus Detection
The risk of contamination associated with the presence of viruses in foods represents an emerging issue for the food industry. Mérieux NutriSciences helps you prevent such outbreaks with laboratory analyses for the detection of Norovirus G1/G2 and Hepatitis A viruses in food.
Foodborne viruses are a common cause of gastroenteritis. Food may be contaminated by infected food handlers or by contact with contaminated water. The most frequent source of foodborne viral illness is consumption of molluscan shellfish, raw fruits and vegetables.
Mérieux NutriSciences offers advanced RT-PCR testing methods to enable fast and accurate detection of food-borne viruses. Our real-time RT PCR-based technique is highly sensitive, specific, reliable, and fast, complying with ISO protocols.
Partner with a Third-party Lab with the Highest Quality Standards
- Our international network of ISO-accredited laboratories asheres to the most stringent industry standards to ensure the integrity of your data.
- Our comprehensive service offering is supported by Mérieux NutriSciences’ One Quality System, ensuring robust and repeatable results.
- We offer committed custom care to support your requests and satisfy your expectations, while our laboratory team continuously works to provide reliable and timely results.
- Our microbiologists apply their expertise in food matrices and regulatory requirements to conduct tests adhering to standards set by APHA, AFNOR, AOAC, FDA, ISO, and USDA.
Beyond our analytical solutions, discover how we can support all your Food Safety and Quality Management challenges.
Mérieux NutriSciences, a Pioneer in Microbiology Food Testing
At Mérieux Nutrisciences, we leverage over 50 years of scientific and entrepreneurial expertise to address the needs of the food industry, a journey that began with Microbiology!
Our story begins with food and an invisible threat: Salmonella. When our founder, Dr. John H. Silliker, started his first laboratory in Chicago in 1967, who would have known that he would become a preeminent figure in the fight against Salmonella and food safety?
Building on his long-lasting curiosity for this complex microorganism and his entrepreneurial vision, he turned his two-floor laboratory into the largest independent food testing and consulting network worldwide.
