In the Food Quality Testing Division, chemical and physico-chemical tests of food are carried out such as non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, chocolates and confectionery products, flour and milled products, fruits and vegetables and their products, milk and dairy products, meat and meat processing,. fats and oils of vegetable and animal origin, raw materials and additives in the food industry, honey and bee products, spices, aromas and concentrates for refreshing drinks, baby food, animal food, dietary supplements, etc.

The testing of the quality parameters of the food products is done according to standard and prescribed methods according to the applicable national and EU legal regulations. At the moment, a total of 33 methods are accredited in the Division with the vision of expanding this scope depending on the needs and requirements of legal regulations and service users. Analytical tests are based on chromatographic (HPLC, GC), spectrophotometric, ELISA, volumetric, gravimetric methods, etc.

The following parameters are analyzed in the test samples: water content, dry matter, ash, proteins, fats, composition of fatty acids, sugars, dietary fiber, content of organic acids, alcohol, total extract, relative density, saponification number, iodine number , acid level, phosphate content and collagen content in meat and meat products, nitrate content in vegetables and products, presence of gluten allergen in gluten-free products, presence of traces of milk in food, etc. In addition, the presence of various additives such as: preservatives (benzoates, sorbates), sweeteners (acesulfame, aspartame, saccharin), artificial food colors, sudan colors is examined in the food products. In food supplements, the content of vitamins (hydro and liposoluble), the presence of some active components such as: coenzyme Q10, hesperidin, diosmin, isoflavones, quercetin, ginsenosides, quinic acid, glucosamine, chondroitin, etc. is determined. Weight loss preparations are analyzed for the presence of illegal pharmacologically active substances of the sibutramine type.

Part of the Division’s activities are also aimed at determining the nutritional value of food products based on the obtained analytical data from the investigated chemical parameters. The highly professional staff in the department can offer advice on product categorization, product declaration preparation and compliance of the declaration with legal regulations related to ingredients, their amounts, the use of health and nutritional claims, etc.

The staff in the Division for Food Quality Testing consists of people who are professionally and technically qualified to work in accordance with internationally accepted criteria and continuously cooperate with domestic and international laboratories in the direction of improving the work. Also, the Division has successful cooperation with numerous institutions in the country and abroad and is involved in the implementation of numerous scientific research projects, the annual monitoring programs of the Food and Veterinary Agency and the Ministry of Health.

The Division for Food Quality Testing has been accredited according to the ISO 17025 standard since 2006, and the list of accredited methods can be found on our website as well as on the website of the RNM Accreditation Institute. The laboratory regularly participates in competency assessment schemes aimed at general recognition of test results.