FOOD QUALITY MONITORING LABORATORY (FQML)
-NABL Accredited Lab

The Food Quality Monitoring Laboratory established in 2008 as a component of Council for Food Research & Development, Kerala, is a world class food testing laboratory. The FQML consisting of Microbiology and Chemical Divisions is the first fully automated Microbiology and Chemical laboratory in Kerala in public sector. It has modern facilities for analyzing all microbiological and chemical parameters of food, feed, water and any type of agricultural products so as to evaluate its quality, safety and nutrition facts for human consumption as well as for animal, poultry and fish.

Accreditation / Approval

The Microbiology Division and Chemical Division of FQML are accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration of Laboratories (NABL), New Delhi in compliance with ISO 17025: 2017.

 
  • Microbiology Division is equipped with state of art equipments for rapid tests such as pathogen identification system, bacterial enumeration system and sterility testing system.
  • The laboratory undertakes analysis of Microbiological parameters by modern rapid methods as well as by traditional methods. While traditional methods for these analyses take 3 to 14 days, the rapid methods in this laboratory take only a few hours, saving lot of time and money for the industry and other beneficiaries
  • Besides microbial tests, FQML takes up almost all kinds of chemical analysis for nutritional parameters, toxic components and organoleptic evaluation of all kinds of food.
  • The laboratory offers good support system for public health authorities to identify the root causes of food poisoning and food borne infections to enable public health surveillance. The laboratory facilities have the capability to identify major pathogenic bacteria from food so that identification of a food borne infection and the source of the infective agent in the food can be easily traced for future remedial measures.
  • The lab undertakes consultancy services on testing and certification of sanitary and hygienic condition of food contact surfaces in food processing plants. The Lab can also give the consultancy for installation and implementation of facilities and procedures, to achieve hygiene and sanitation.
  • Chemical Division of FQML is equipped with modern laboratory equipments which can facilitate chemical analysis of food, feed, water and all other agricultural commodities using conventional and modern facilities.
  • Chemical laboratory undertakes pesticide residue analysis for Organochlorine and Organo-Phosphorous pesticides.
  • Analysis of mycotoxins and uric acid in food grain, caffeine content in coffee and other beverages, alcohol content in wine and other alcoholic beverages.
  • Analysis for vitamins and other nutritional parameters including heavy metals in food and feed.
  • Analysis of water from different sources for anions, cations and other parameters.
  • Analysis of oils and fats for the presence of trans fatty acids and other adulterants.
  • Analysis of antibiotics and steroid hormones in fish, milk, meat and honey samples.
  • The Chemical division undertakes chemical and biochemical analysis with sophisticated instruments like UV-vis Spectrometer, HPLC, GC, FT-IR, IC, AAS, ASC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, Semi automatic fiber, fat and protein analyzers and spectrofluoro photometers.
  • Besides these instrumentation analyses, Chemical Division is also carrying out all the conventional methods of food and water analysis.
  • In addition to food and food quality testing, FQML offers short term training courses for Post Graduate Students (MSc. Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry & Food Technology) and it also offers short term hands– on- training for those who aspires chemical analysis of food and water using sophisticated instruments.

 

MICROBIOLOGY DIVISION

In the Microbiology Division we offer microbiological analysis of food, water and environment samples.

We offers short term training programme on:

  • Food analysis (Microbiology)
  • Water analysis (Microbiology)
  • Instrumentation analysis

Types of microbiological tests include:

Total Plate Count, Total Coliforms, Escherichia coli O157 : H7, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterobacteriaceae, Yeasts and Moulds, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella, thermophilic flat sour organisms etc.

CHEMICAL DIVISION

          The Chemical Division of the laboratory is equipped with best analytical equipments available internally to carryout both physical and chemical analysis of all food and water samples as per national and international standards. Also offer short term training programmes.

Types of Tests carried out

  • Tests for detecting contaminants like pesticides residues, antibiotic residues, aflatoxin, heavy metals
  • Nutritional analysis
  • Quality and safety parameters

Training programmes

  • Food analysis (Chemical)
  • Water analysis (Chemical)
  • Instrumentation analysis