Nutrition & Food Chemistry
Premier Analytical’s Comprehensive Nutrition Service ensures accurate “on pack” information for your consumer.
Premier Analytical Services is one of the leading food testing centres in Europe, can supply you with a service that is designed to provide comprehensive support in this area delivering the highest value for money by offering:
- Consultancy advice
- Comprehensive scope of UKAS accredited analyses
- Fast, reliable results and interpretation.
You can rely on our advice and analytical results to provide accurate information for your consumers.
You can be confident that as one of our customers we will help you to implement the most appropriate testing regime.
You can use our service to monitor your products with regard to any Nutrition Claims that are made.
The Comprehensive Nutrition Service from Premier Analytical Services provides information on which you and your consumers can rely.
Mandatory Nutrition Labelling
Information must be declared per 100g 0r 100ml of the food. Or per portion, with the number of portions in a pack listed.
Mandatory Nutrition
|
UKAS Accredited |
|||
| Mandatory Nutrition Declaration | |||
| Mandatory Nutrition Declaration new format: | |||
| ENERGY by calculation |
Yes |
||
| FAT by analysis |
Yes |
||
| SATURATED FATS by analysis |
Yes |
||
| CARBOHYDRATE by calculation (or difference) |
Yes |
||
| SUGAR PROFILE by analysis |
Yes |
||
| PROTEIN by analysis |
Yes |
||
| SALT by Sodium (by analysis) |
Yes |
||
| Measured for calculation but not declared on pack: | |||
| MOISTURE by analysis |
Yes |
||
| ASH by analysis |
Yes |
||
| DIETARY FIBRE by analyis (AOAC method)* |
Yes |
||
| *Please note that if it is opted to declare Fibre it is positioned above Protein in the list. It is only mandatory for this to be tested and declared in products making a nutrition or health claim about fibre or energy although EC guidelines are that Products containing 3% or more of fibre should include it in the testing to enable accurate calculation of Energy values. Most foods contain <3g/100g of fibre, the main exceptions are many cereals and pulses and products containing high levels of these. In practice most manufacturers are still including it in the testing and declaring on pack. | |||
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Mandatory Nutrition as Individual Analyses
|
UKAS Accredited |
Lower Reporting Limits |
|||
| Moisture/Dry Matter | ||||
| Loss on Drying (Moisture by Oven drying @1020C for a minimum of 14 hrs) |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
||
| Moisture of Wheat products (Flour), by oven drying @ 1300C for 2 hrs |
No |
|||
| Moisture of Heterogeneous (Bakery) products with a high moisture content |
Yes |
|||
| Dry Matter in High sugar samples, by vacuum oven drying @ 700C |
Yes |
|||
| Ash | ||||
| By incineration in a muffle furnace @ 500°C |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
||
| Crude protein | ||||
| Dumas | measures total nitrogen |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
|
| Sugars Profile (Mono and disaccharides / Total Sugars) | ||||
| By HPLC | Fructose + Glucose + Lactose + Maltose + Sucrose using HPLC |
Yes |
0.1g/100g (per sugar) |
|
|
By Ion-chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection IC-PAD (more sensitive) |
No |
0.01g/100g |
||
| Fat | ||||
| Total Fat |
Total Fat by ICC (acid hydrolysis and liquid-liquid extraction) |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
|
| Total Fat | Total Fat by NMR |
Yes |
||
| Total Fat by Soxhlet (lipid extractable by solvent) |
No |
|||
|
Fatty acids Composition of a fat (Saturates, monounsaturates, polyunsaturates & trans fatty acids) AKA Total Fatty Acids (TFAs) |
Fat sample |
Yes |
1% of fat phase of sample |
|
| Non fat samples requiring fat extraction |
Yes |
|||
| Omega 3 & Omega 6 Fatty Acids |
Yes |
|||
|
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil |
Trans fatty acids and fatty acid profile assessments |
No |
||
|
Trans fatty acids are a key indicator of partial hydrogenation of a fat. Determination of the presence of partially hydrogenated fats in a foodstuff can therefore be determined by analysis to determine the level of trans fatty acids in a foodstuff. However the presence of trans fatty acid alone will not confirm evidence of hydrogenation as low levels of trans acids can be formed in normal thermal processing of foodstuffs. We therefore analyse for the presence of trans fatty acids and interpret the trans levels along with the fatty acid profile to determine presence hydrogenated fats. |
||||
| Dietary Fibre | ||||
| Total Dietary Fibre | by AOAC method |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
|
| Soluble fibre |
by AOAC method Need to do Total, Soluble and Insoluble as Q/C |
Yes |
0.50% |
|
| Insoluble fibre |
Yes |
|||
| Soluble & Insoluble fibre | by AOAC method |
Yes |
||
| Sodium | ||||
| by AA |
Yes |
LOD 3.4 ppm LOQ 4.8ppm |
||
| Available Carbohydrate | ||||
| Old Group 1 Nutrition is performed (Protein, Fat , Moisture & Ash are measured)- Carbohydrate is calculated by difference – Dietary Fibre is measured and subtracted from Carbohydrate to give Available Carbohydrate |
Yes |
|||
| Nutrients/Constituents that if present must be measured & included in the energy calculation | ||||
|
Polyols (alcohol sugars sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol & xylitol) |
HPLC (capability is sample matrix dependent as it may not be possible to differentiate analytes from inherent interference) |
No |
0.1% |
|
|
Alcohol (Ethanol) |
by GC with aqueous extraction |
Yes |
0.1% (Upper reporting limit 5%) |
|
|
Organic acids (Organic anions by HPLC) |
Citric acid + Isocitric acid + Malic acid + Tartaric acid |
Yes |
50ppm |
|
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Other Major Nutritional Components
|
UKAS Accredited |
Lower Reporting Limits |
|||
|
Meat content – by Chemical analysis |
By Stubbs & Moore calculation based on analysis of Fat, Moisture, Protein & Ash on meat portion of the product |
Yes |
N/A |
|
|
Meat content – by separation |
By mechanical separation and weight measurements |
No |
N/A |
|
| pH |
Yes |
|||
| Specific gravity / Density |
No |
|||
| Chloride, water soluble | For Salt by Chloride |
Yes |
0.01g/100g |
|
| Cholesterol | by GC/MS |
Yes |
50mg/Kg |
|
|
Fructans (Oligofructose & Inulin) |
Using AOAC method 997.08 (We cannot distinguish between oligofructose and inulin) |
Yes (Bakery & Dairy Food Types) |
0.5g/100g |
|
| Short chain length oligomers | Glucose oligomers by HPLC |
No |
||
| Sugars by refractometry (Brix) |
No |
|||
| Starch glucose | using acid hydrolysis |
No |
||
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Other Minor Nutritional Components
|
UKAS Accredited |
Lower Reporting Limits |
|||
|
Alcohol content (grape musts, wine etc) |
Specific gravity |
No |
||
| Beta Glucans | Megazyme mixed linkage Beta Glucans test – Oat and Barley Beta glucans in cereals and cereal based products ONLY |
No |
||
| Caffeine |
Yes |
100 mg/kg |
||
| Capsaicin in spices |
HPLC (X16 for Scoville Value) |
No |
||
| Chlorinated lipids in foods containing chlorine treated flour |
No |
|||
|
Free Amino Acids |
Suite contains the following free amino acids: |
LODs (mg/kg) as follows: |
||
| Alanine Ala (A) |
Yes |
3.2 |
||
| Asparagine Asn (N) |
Yes |
4.1 |
||
| Aspartic acid Asp (D) |
Yes |
7.5 |
||
| Glutamic acid Glu (E) |
Yes |
5.3 |
||
| Glutamine Gln (Q) |
Yes |
4.7 |
||
| Glycine Gly (G) |
Yes |
2.9 |
||
| Isoleucine Ile (I) |
Yes |
3.7 |
||
| Leucine Leu (L) |
Yes |
3.7 |
||
| Phenylalanine Phe (F) |
Yes |
5.8 |
||
| Serine Ser (S) |
Yes |
3.6 |
||
| Threonine Thr (T) |
Yes |
4.1 |
||
| Tyrosine Tyr (Y) |
Yes |
6.3 |
||
| Valine Val (V) |
Yes |
3.4 |
||
| Monosodium Glutamate | NB we cannot distinguish amino acid from its sodium salt. We measure Glutamate and express it as MSG |
No |
||
|
Inorganic anions by HPLC (Sample matrix dependant) |
Nitrate |
No |
10 mg/kg |
|
| Iodide |
No |
10 mg/kg |
||
| Phosphate |
No |
10 mg/kg |
||
| Sulphate |
No |
10 mg/kg |
||
| Nucleosides & Nucleotides in yeast, flavourings & fermentation liquors |
Nucleosides= Adenosine/ Cytosine/ Guanosine/ Inosine Uridine Nucleotides= Adenosine monophosphate AMP/ CMP/ GMP/ IMP/ UMP |
No |
||
| Osmolality in drinks (also Milk Freezing Point Depression) |
No |
|||
| Phospholipids |
No |
|||
| Phytic acid |
No |
|||
|
Purines (total) & Pyrimidines (total) |
Purines= Adenine/ Guanine/ Hypoxanthine/ Inosine/ Xanthine Pyrimidines= Cytosine/ Uracil |
No |
||
| Quinine in soft drinks |
No |
|||
| Titratable acidity | Expressed mainly as acetic or citric acid but could be others |
Yes |
||
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Accelerated Shelf Life Testing
What is it?
Physically altering an extrinsic parameter, such as storage temperature, in order to assist agents of product deterioration.
How is it performed?
Most often storage temperature is maintained at a higher level with the aim of improving microbial growth kinetics.
When do you do it?
When shelf life evaluation is required within a reduced timeframe compared to the target shelf life.
Pros
Application restricted to scenarios wherein product intrinsics are thermo-stable and the hazard organisms are known to occur at low temperature but their growth kinetics are increased at elevated temperature such that an early warning can be given regarding product stability.
Cons
The alteration of an extrinsic parameter gives a false representation of the product profile such that intrinsics may change. The potentially problematic microbial population may not be suited to development in this altered environment such that resultant lack of growth could impart a false sense of security. Additionally cascade effects at lower temperature could be missed.
Consultancy & Advice
This new Regulation also changes the format that must be used for nutrition labelling of foods in the EU – all foods produced from 13th December 2014 must comply with the new rules.
The rules for making nutrition or health claims on foods in the EU have also recently undergone major changes and continue to evolve.
Nutritional labelling is a complex area wherein the potential for error is very high. Premier Analytical Services’s consultants can help you to get it right first time with advice that will answer questions such as:
What nutrition labelling rules apply to your particular food product?
Do the claims you make on pack or in advertising fall within the scope of the Nutrition & Health Claims Regulation – how does this affect the nutrition declaration?
What should be included in the declaration and what format and layout should be used?
What do you do about nutrients not listed in the regulations or for which there are no conversion factors?
What are the different requirements for vitamins and minerals as well as PARNUT foods?
What is the correct and best way to derive the information for the declaration?
Information should be based on:
- Calculation from known or actual average values of the ingredients used OR
- Calculation from generally established and accepted data OR
- Analysis. The method of derivation preferred by the major manufacturers, retailers and food industry authorities.
Calculation
If this is your preferred approach the experts at Premier Analytical Services can carry out calculations on your behalf or assist you to select and perform the most appropriate calculation.
Analysis
At the heart of our service is the full range of tests required to derive all the information needed to make accurate nutrition declarations. All of our analyses in this area are accredited by UKAS to the ISO 17025 standard. As such you can rely on the results and be confident that the declarations you are making on your products are a true representation that can in turn be relied upon by your consumers.
Interpretation
What the numbers mean and advice on any course of action that may be required – providing you with a Comprehensive Nutrition Service.
Premier Analytical’s Comprehensive Nutrition Service ensures accurate “on pack” information for your consumer.
Premier Analytical Services is one of the leading food testing centres in Europe, can supply you with a service that is designed to provide comprehensive support in this area delivering the highest value for money by offering:
- Consultancy advice
- Comprehensive scope of UKAS accredited analyses
- Fast, reliable results and interpretation.
You can rely on our advice and analytical results to provide accurate information for your consumers.
You can be confident that as one of our customers we will help you to implement the most appropriate testing regime.
You can use our service to monitor your products with regard to any Nutrition Claims that are made.
The Comprehensive Nutrition Service from Premier Analytical Services provides information on which you and your consumers can rely.
Mandatory Nutrition Labelling
Information must be declared per 100g 0r 100ml of the food. Or per portion, with the number of portions in a pack listed.
Mandatory Nutrition
|
UKAS Accredited |
|||
| Mandatory Nutrition Declaration | |||
| Mandatory Nutrition Declaration new format: | |||
| ENERGY by calculation |
Yes |
||
| FAT by analysis |
Yes |
||
| SATURATED FATS by analysis |
Yes |
||
| CARBOHYDRATE by calculation (or difference) |
Yes |
||
| SUGAR PROFILE by analysis |
Yes |
||
| PROTEIN by analysis |
Yes |
||
| SALT by Sodium (by analysis) |
Yes |
||
| Measured for calculation but not declared on pack: | |||
| MOISTURE by analysis |
Yes |
||
| ASH by analysis |
Yes |
||
| DIETARY FIBRE by analyis (AOAC method)* |
Yes |
||
| *Please note that if it is opted to declare Fibre it is positioned above Protein in the list. It is only mandatory for this to be tested and declared in products making a nutrition or health claim about fibre or energy although EC guidelines are that Products containing 3% or more of fibre should include it in the testing to enable accurate calculation of Energy values. Most foods contain <3g/100g of fibre, the main exceptions are many cereals and pulses and products containing high levels of these. In practice most manufacturers are still including it in the testing and declaring on pack. | |||
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Mandatory Nutrition as Individual Analyses
|
UKAS Accredited |
Lower Reporting Limits |
|||
| Moisture/Dry Matter | ||||
| Loss on Drying (Moisture by Oven drying @1020C for a minimum of 14 hrs) |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
||
| Moisture of Wheat products (Flour), by oven drying @ 1300C for 2 hrs |
No |
|||
| Moisture of Heterogeneous (Bakery) products with a high moisture content |
Yes |
|||
| Dry Matter in High sugar samples, by vacuum oven drying @ 700C |
Yes |
|||
| Ash | ||||
| By incineration in a muffle furnace @ 500°C |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
||
| Crude protein | ||||
| Dumas | measures total nitrogen |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
|
| Sugars Profile (Mono and disaccharides / Total Sugars) | ||||
| By HPLC | Fructose + Glucose + Lactose + Maltose + Sucrose using HPLC |
Yes |
0.1g/100g (per sugar) |
|
|
By Ion-chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection IC-PAD (more sensitive) |
No |
0.01g/100g |
||
| Fat | ||||
| Total Fat |
Total Fat by ICC (acid hydrolysis and liquid-liquid extraction) |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
|
| Total Fat | Total Fat by NMR |
Yes |
||
| Total Fat by Soxhlet (lipid extractable by solvent) |
No |
|||
|
Fatty acids Composition of a fat (Saturates, monounsaturates, polyunsaturates & trans fatty acids) AKA Total Fatty Acids (TFAs) |
Fat sample |
Yes |
1% of fat phase of sample |
|
| Non fat samples requiring fat extraction |
Yes |
|||
| Omega 3 & Omega 6 Fatty Acids |
Yes |
|||
|
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil |
Trans fatty acids and fatty acid profile assessments |
No |
||
|
Trans fatty acids are a key indicator of partial hydrogenation of a fat. Determination of the presence of partially hydrogenated fats in a foodstuff can therefore be determined by analysis to determine the level of trans fatty acids in a foodstuff. However the presence of trans fatty acid alone will not confirm evidence of hydrogenation as low levels of trans acids can be formed in normal thermal processing of foodstuffs. We therefore analyse for the presence of trans fatty acids and interpret the trans levels along with the fatty acid profile to determine presence hydrogenated fats. |
||||
| Dietary Fibre | ||||
| Total Dietary Fibre | by AOAC method |
Yes |
0.1g/100g |
|
| Soluble fibre |
by AOAC method Need to do Total, Soluble and Insoluble as Q/C |
Yes |
0.50% |
|
| Insoluble fibre |
Yes |
|||
| Soluble & Insoluble fibre | by AOAC method |
Yes |
||
| Sodium | ||||
| by AA |
Yes |
LOD 3.4 ppm LOQ 4.8ppm |
||
| Available Carbohydrate | ||||
| Old Group 1 Nutrition is performed (Protein, Fat , Moisture & Ash are measured)- Carbohydrate is calculated by difference – Dietary Fibre is measured and subtracted from Carbohydrate to give Available Carbohydrate |
Yes |
|||
| Nutrients/Constituents that if present must be measured & included in the energy calculation | ||||
|
Polyols (alcohol sugars sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol & xylitol) |
HPLC (capability is sample matrix dependent as it may not be possible to differentiate analytes from inherent interference) |
No |
0.1% |
|
|
Alcohol (Ethanol) |
by GC with aqueous extraction |
Yes |
0.1% (Upper reporting limit 5%) |
|
|
Organic acids (Organic anions by HPLC) |
Citric acid + Isocitric acid + Malic acid + Tartaric acid |
Yes |
50ppm |
|
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Other Major Nutritional Components
|
UKAS Accredited |
Lower Reporting Limits |
|||
|
Meat content – by Chemical analysis |
By Stubbs & Moore calculation based on analysis of Fat, Moisture, Protein & Ash on meat portion of the product |
Yes |
N/A |
|
|
Meat content – by separation |
By mechanical separation and weight measurements |
No |
N/A |
|
| pH |
Yes |
|||
|
Specific gravity / Density |
No |
|||
| Chloride, water soluble | For Salt by Chloride |
Yes |
0.01g/100g |
|
| Cholesterol | by GC/MS |
Yes |
50mg/Kg |
|
|
Fructans (Oligofructose & Inulin) |
Using AOAC method 997.08 (We cannot distinguish between oligofructose and inulin) |
Yes (Bakery & Dairy Food Types) |
0.5g/100g |
|
| Short chain length oligomers | Glucose oligomers by HPLC |
No |
||
| Sugars by refractometry (Brix) |
No |
|||
| Starch glucose | using acid hydrolysis |
No |
||
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Other Minor Nutritional Components
|
UKAS Accredited |
Lower Reporting Limits |
|||
|
Alcohol content (grape musts, wine etc) |
Specific gravity |
No |
||
| Beta Glucans | Megazyme mixed linkage Beta Glucans test – Oat and Barley Beta glucans in cereals and cereal based products ONLY |
No |
||
| Caffeine |
Yes |
100 mg/kg |
||
| Capsaicin in spices |
HPLC (X16 for Scoville Value) |
No |
||
| Chlorinated lipids in foods containing chlorine treated flour |
No |
|||
|
Free Amino Acids |
Suite contains the following free amino acids: |
LODs (mg/kg) as follows: |
||
| Alanine Ala (A) |
Yes |
3.2 |
||
| Asparagine Asn (N) |
Yes |
4.1 |
||
| Aspartic acid Asp (D) |
Yes |
7.5 |
||
| Glutamic acid Glu (E) |
Yes |
5.3 |
||
| Glutamine Gln (Q) |
Yes |
4.7 |
||
| Glycine Gly (G) |
Yes |
2.9 |
||
| Isoleucine Ile (I) |
Yes |
3.7 |
||
| Leucine Leu (L) |
Yes |
3.7 |
||
| Phenylalanine Phe (F) |
Yes |
5.8 |
||
| Serine Ser (S) |
Yes |
3.6 |
||
| Threonine Thr (T) |
Yes |
4.1 |
||
| Tyrosine Tyr (Y) |
Yes |
6.3 |
||
| Valine Val (V) |
Yes |
3.4 |
||
| Monosodium Glutamate | NB we cannot distinguish amino acid from its sodium salt. We measure Glutamate and express it as MSG |
No |
||
|
Inorganic anions by HPLC (Sample matrix dependant) |
Nitrate |
No |
10 mg/kg |
|
| Iodide |
No |
10 mg/kg |
||
| Phosphate |
No |
10 mg/kg |
||
| Sulphate |
No |
10 mg/kg |
||
| Nucleosides & Nucleotides in yeast, flavourings & fermentation liquors |
Nucleosides= Adenosine/ Cytosine/ Guanosine/ Inosine Uridine Nucleotides= Adenosine monophosphate AMP/ CMP/ GMP/ IMP/ UMP |
No |
||
| Osmolality in drinks (also Milk Freezing Point Depression) |
No |
|||
| Phospholipids |
No |
|||
|
Phytic acid |
No |
|||
|
Purines (total) & Pyrimidines (total) |
Purines= Adenine/ Guanine/ Hypoxanthine/ Inosine/ Xanthine Pyrimidines= Cytosine/ Uracil |
No |
||
| Quinine in soft drinks |
No |
|||
| Titratable acidity | Expressed mainly as acetic or citric acid but could be others |
Yes |
||
Please refer to the UKAS Schedule of Accreditation for the specific matrices.
Accelerated Shelf Life Testing
What is it?
Physically altering an extrinsic parameter, such as storage temperature, in order to assist agents of product deterioration.
How is it performed?
Most often storage temperature is maintained at a higher level with the aim of improving microbial growth kinetics.
When do you do it?
When shelf life evaluation is required within a reduced timeframe compared to the target shelf life.
Pros
Application restricted to scenarios wherein product intrinsics are thermo-stable and the hazard organisms are known to occur at low temperature but their growth kinetics are increased at elevated temperature such that an early warning can be given regarding product stability.
Cons
The alteration of an extrinsic parameter gives a false representation of the product profile such that intrinsics may change. The potentially problematic microbial population may not be suited to development in this altered environment such that resultant lack of growth could impart a false sense of security. Additionally cascade effects at lower temperature could be missed.
Consultancy & Advice
This new Regulation also changes the format that must be used for nutrition labelling of foods in the EU – all foods produced from 13th December 2014 must comply with the new rules.
The rules for making nutrition or health claims on foods in the EU have also recently undergone major changes and continue to evolve.
Nutritional labelling is a complex area wherein the potential for error is very high. Premier Analytical Services’s consultants can help you to get it right first time with advice that will answer questions such as:
What nutrition labelling rules apply to your particular food product?
Do the claims you make on pack or in advertising fall within the scope of the Nutrition & Health Claims Regulation – how does this affect the nutrition declaration?
What should be included in the declaration and what format and layout should be used?
What do you do about nutrients not listed in the regulations or for which there are no conversion factors?
What are the different requirements for vitamins and minerals as well as PARNUT foods?
What is the correct and best way to derive the information for the declaration?
Information should be based on:
- Calculation from known or actual average values of the ingredients used OR
- Calculation from generally established and accepted data OR
- Analysis. The method of derivation preferred by the major manufacturers, retailers and food industry authorities.
Calculation
If this is your preferred approach the experts at Premier Analytical Services can carry out calculations on your behalf or assist you to select and perform the most appropriate calculation.
Analysis
At the heart of our service is the full range of tests required to derive all the information needed to make accurate nutrition declarations. All of our analyses in this area are accredited by UKAS to the ISO 17025 standard. As such you can rely on the results and be confident that the declarations you are making on your products are a true representation that can in turn be relied upon by your consumers.
Interpretation
What the numbers mean and advice on any course of action that may be required – providing you with a Comprehensive Nutrition Service.