Chemical Analysis for Food and Beverage Testing

Chemical analysis of foods and beverages is performed to ensure safe consumption, product quality, and product integrity. Chemical analysis is a pre-requisite for safeguarding correct food labeling, as well as protection of consumers against adulteration, misbranding of food, and unsafe beverages. To achieve these objectives, a combined approach including suitable food legislation, increased controls by food authorities, continuous studies by food safety agencies and universities to improve knowledge about food and food processing, and enhanced responsibility of the food industry is critical. 

This combined monitoring approach is particularly important in the food and beverage industry due to the complex nature of how products come to market. For example, contamination of processed meat might come from the manufacturing process, but could also come from the animal feed or even the soil the feed was grown in. 

Thus, analytical testing in the food and beverage industry also extends to environmental testing (e.g., soil and water quality, air monitoring). Analytical and instrumental methods for food and beverage analysis and quality control are implemented to test for safety, quality, and nutritional value. The complex compounds of our modern diet are analyzed in chemical testing labs in accordance to global and local regulations. 

Related Technical Articles

• Inorganic elemental impurity mixes according to ICH Q3D guidelines
  In 2009, the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) proposed the development of a new harmonized guideline to provide a global policy for limiting metal impurities in drug products and ingredients. This approach provides clear regulatory guidance on specification limits for elemental impurities worldwide and logically should have an impact on the work of the national regulatory bodies in having transparent and comparable results.
• Analysis of Fats (Fatty Acids, FAMEs, Glycerides) in Food and Beverages
  This article explores the analysis of fats in food and beverage products. From derivatization of fatty acids to FAMEs, to analysis of FAME isomers, and more we are your one-stop shop for all of your food and beverage analysis needs.
• Detecting heavy metals in food and beverages
  Testing for heavy metals in food and beverages? You understand that prolonged trace exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and thallium (Tl), via the food, beverages and drinking water we consume can cause serious health risks. Fortunately, increasingly sensitive tests are in place to ensure our food is safe. Discover the recent advances in analytical technologies for heavy metal detection and the products, services and technical support available to help you keep us all safe. Because we all want to trust what we eat.
• GC Analysis of Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Fish Oil Capsules and Farm Raised Salmon
  nalysis of the omega 3 fatty acid profiles from fish oil capsules and salmon, highlighted through the use of 2 GC columns of different selectivity for analysts who wish to perform confirmatory analysis.
• ICP-MS Analysis of Heavy Metals in Cannabis Sativa
  Ensure the safety of cannabis and hemp products by testing for heavy metal contamination using ICP-MS and state specific reference material mixes
• See All (42)

Related Protocols

• Derivatization of Fatty acids to FAMEs
  Explore how GC can be used to analyze fatty acids either as free fatty acids or as fatty acid methyl esters.
• Enzymatic Food Analysis
  Enzymatic methods for food analysis are highly specific and offer considerable time and cost savings over other methods, especially from the sample preparation standpoint. We offer a wide variety of convenient kits and reagents for rapid and reliable enzymatic food analysis.
• Sulfur Dioxide in Beer
  Spectrophotometric determination of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) in Beer with Elimann's reagent. Analytical method and sample preparation for Spectroquant® Sulfite Test.
• GC Analysis of Fatty Acids in Walnuts and Peanuts
  Determination of the fatty acid composition of nuts using established methods for GC analysis on capillary columns of 3 selectivities: Omegawax, SP-2560, and ionic liquid based SLB-IL111.
• Cannabis Terpene Analysis by Headspace SPME GC/MS
  High-resolution profiling of terpenes and terpenoids to identify fragrance compounds and distinguish hops and cannabis varieties using SPME-GC/MS.
• See All (40)

Find More Articles and Protocols

Enter Keywords

Common Chemical Analysis Techniques

• Disinfection Control via Reflectometry and Spectroscopy
• Ingredient Determination such as Salt, Vitamin C, and Calcium by Volumetric Titration
• Water Content Determination by Karl Fischer (KF) Titration
• Trace Element Analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS)
• Metal Content Determination by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP)
• Planar Pesticide Extraction with the QuEChERS Solid Phase Extraction Sample Preparation Method
• Preparing Food Samples for Direct Instrumental Analysis with Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME)
• Toxin and Pesticide Screening by HPLC and UHPLC (MS-detection)
• Titration
• Determination of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) by Gas Chromatography (GC)
• Ingredient Determination of Carbohydrates, Sugars, Lipids, Proteins via Enzymatic Analysis

Nutritional Data for Packaged Food and Beverages

Nutritional data on packaged food is necessary to help customers make informed decisions based on dietary needs or to manage diet-related disorders. Accordingly, labeling regulations provide detailed requirements for nutritional labeling (nutrients, amounts, and caloric values) on food packages. Additional food testing by manufacturers for nutrients, like carbohydrates (sugars, saccharides), dietary fiber, organic acids, sugar alcohols, fats (fatty acids, FAMES, glycerides), proteins (amino acids, peptides), sodium, vitamins, and minerals is crucial for consistent nutrient declaration.

Contamination Testing for Food & Beverage Safety

Chemical food safety analysis allows for the safe consumption of products free of allergens, harmful pesticide residues, heavy metals, mycotoxins , and veterinary drug residues. Advances have been made in crop protection and food manufacturing procedures to enable increased food production.  In parallel, the long-term effects of these advances, such as the increased use of pesticides to ensure adequate crop yield, are under constant review by government regulatory agencies to ensure they do not become harmful.   

Analytical Testing for Food Adulteration and Misbranding

Food authenticity testing ensured food integrity by protecting customers from food adulteration and misbranding. Analytical methods are used to detect substitutions of ingredients or illegal chemical additions that alter or mask characteristics.