Every year, the global beverage market expands and becomes more diverse and fast-paced, fluctuating frequently as new consumer trends arise, such as vitamin-fortified water, energy drinks, anti-aging water, sports drinks, and so on. To help track contamination, adulteration, product consistency, and assure regulatory compliance from raw components (water, additives, and fruits) to the finished product, i.e., alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, the compositional quality and safety of all beverages must be monitored.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) are the two main regulatory authorities in India that create rules to ensure the quality of both raw and finished products. Internationally, the FAO and WHO’s Codex Alimentarius, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are some of the beverage testing standards that are used.
TYPES OF BEVERAGES
FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGES
If you are producing or selling beverages with added functional ingredients, you should verify the levels of activities and match your nutritional or dietary supplement facts panel. Our technical team of experts have the capability to analyze your raw ingredients for purity, identity, and contaminants and shelf life.
FERMENTED & PROBIOTIC
Kombuchas, Kefirs, and other probiotic and fermented beverages require special attention as these types of matrices contain complex microbiological environments which need special testing methods and strain-specific enumeration procedures. FARE Labs is a leading testing laboratory for probiotic testing, partnering with many probiotic suppliers for their regulatory and other requirements.
CARBONATED FRUIT BEVERAGES
Juices, juice-based drinks, and soft drinks pose unique challenges compared to other beverages. With the use of unique processes such as cold fill, pasteurization, aseptic, HPP, etc. a lot of problems can arise. Seeking assistance from FARE Labs can help to boost both safety and quality of your finished products, and to check for the different levels of natural juices, sugars/sweeteners, and acidulants. Some common parameters as requested by our customers include fruit content and total soluble solids.
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Kombucha, Kefir, and other probiotic and fermented beverages require extra care since they include diverse microbial habitats that necessitate specialised testing methodologies and strain-specific enumeration procedures. FARE Labs is a major probiotic testing facility that works with a number of probiotic producers to meet their regulatory and other testing needs.
TESTING SERVICES OFFERED By LABS
Physical & Chemical Analysis (dirt, foreign matter, alcoholic content, ethyl alcohol content at 20°C, etc.)
Nutritional Analysis & Labelling (energy, protein, carbohydrates, total sugar, etc.)
Fatty acid profile (SFA, MUFA and PUFA) & Trans fatty acids
Naturally Occurring Toxic Substances (Agaric acid, Hydrocyanic acid, Hypercine and Safrole)
Vitamins (Vit. A (as retinol), B-complex, C)
Amino Acid Profile
Minerals (sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, etc.)
Mycotoxins (total aflatoxin, aflatoxin B1, etc.)
Microbiological parameters (total plate count, total coliform count, yeast and mould count, salmonella and shigella, E. coli, etc.) Heavy metal residues (lead, tin, arsenic, copper, cadmium, etc.)
Melamine
Additives (n-propyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, n-amyl alcohol, acetone & other ketones, etc.)
Pesticide Residues
Sensory Evaluation
Shelf Life Testing
Molecular Testing
Allergens (celery, mollusc, milk, egg, fish, etc.)
GMO Testing
Test for active Components (Qualitative)
ETO and ECH Testing
MCPDs and GE Testing
Food Application and recipe engineering
Radioactive residues
Steroids and Hormone Testing
Dioxins, PCBs, PAHs & Furans