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Lab Services
The Flavorbase brand operates within the D Street Foods facility, which is also home to two onsite laboratories, including one laboratory operated by the Food Safety Analytics Laboratory (“FSAL”), a professional analytical laboratory company providing services to a number of food processors operating in the Central Valley. D Street Foods owns its laboratory facilities and the related equipment, and employs dedicated laboratory technicians that perform research and development and quality assurance functions for Flavorbase. These laboratory technicians work under the supervision of a PhD in Microbiology.
The Research and Development Laboratory focuses on Industry Research, New Product Development, Sensory Analysis, and Shelf-life studies. The Research and Product Development staff works in close concert with culinary professionals in creating new flavors for clients. The laboratory team assists in the evaluation of various ingredients, and makes recommendations regarding cooking and preservation processes. The team also works closely with a sensory analysis panel in evaluating taste, smell, flavor, aroma, texture, appearance and color for all products developed by Flavorbase and outside clients. The Food Safety Analytics Laboratory (“FSAL”) focuses on the Microbiological, Environmental, Nutritional, Chemical and Physical property analysis for any given food sample. The laboratory is sealed and separate from the manufacturing area and is equipped with state of the art instrumentation. Technicians are trained and certified to follow Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling samples, analysis, reading results, interpretation of the results and reporting. FSAL enforces Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs), and ISO accreditation laboratory guidelines. We have developed GLPs, GMPs, HACCP, QC, Safety and Sanitation programs as well. FSAL also provides process validation services to food processors. Process validation services aid manufacturers in developing manufacturing processes that commercially sterilize food products in accordance with the regulatory validation guidelines outlines by the USDA and FDA. FSAL strives for continuous improvement in all of its processes and functions.
- FSAL Microbial Analysis: The following microbial analyses are routinely performed on manufactured products, before and after processing, on a random sampling basis: total aerobic plate counts, yeasts & molds, staph, listeria, E. coli and coliforms.
- Shelf-life studies: Shelf-life studies are normally performed every 30 day period for six to twelve months. For accelerated shelf-life studies, samples are incubated at 38°C and samples are taken every week to analyze. Accelerated studies are completed in four to six weeks. Shelf-life studies involve standard, microbial, chemical and sensory analyses.
- Nutritional Chemistry: Chemistry analysis measures proteins, fats, lipids, carbohydrates, water activity, minerals and vitamins.
- Physical Properties: Sediments, viscosity, PH, colorimetry, specific gravity and turbidity tests
- Water analysis: Water comes into the plant is monitored for microbial contents, PH, salinity, & hardness on a daily basis. The laboratory facility is fumigated and sanitized to minimize air borne microbial content, necessary for proper testing. Detergent floor mats, UV lamps, coats, face masks and hairnets are used to reduce air microbial contents in the production facility. Daily swaps and air sample validate the efficacy of daily sterilization. The FSAL, Flavorbase and D Street Foods laboratories are subject to USDA audits. Secure incubators are made available for any regulatory or inspection agency to securely incubate their samples onsite. Our product ingredients, processing parameters, formulas are protected and treated as proprietary information. However these processes are open in certain instances to outside audits and process inspections with a signed NDA.
