Beyond safety, the success of your product depends on its quality, consistency, and stability. Our quality testing services provide the essential scientific data you need to optimize your formulations, validate your processes, satisfy retailers, and provide accurate nutritional information to your customers. We are your partner in perfecting your product from concept to consumer.

Our Quality Testing Services Include:

• pH Determination: A critical control parameter for many acidified and fermented foods.
• Water Activity (a_W): The most important measure for predicting the shelf stability and safety of low-moisture foods.
• Salt Determination: Verify that your product meets its formulation targets for taste and preservation.
• Nutrition Facts Panel: We provide the analytical data needed to generate a compliant Nutrition Facts Panel for your product packaging.
• Shelf-Life Studies: We can design and execute a study to scientifically validate your product's "use-by" or "best-by" date. (See details below)
• Challenge Studies: Inoculation studies designed to determine if your product can support the growth of specific pathogens, providing critical data for your safety plan. (See details below)
• Process Review Letter: Obtain regulatory approval with a formal letter from a recognized Process Authority. (See details below)

In-Depth: Shelf-Life Studies

Validating Your Product's Freshness and Quality Over Time

A "Best By" or "Use-By" date is more than a guess—it's a promise to your customer about the quality and safety of your product. Our shelf-life studies are designed to scientifically validate that promise, giving you, your retailers, and your consumers confidence in your product from the day it’s made to the day it’s opened.

Why is a Shelf-Life Study Important?

• Consumer Confidence: Ensures a positive customer experience by preventing the sale of degraded or spoiled products.
• Retailer Requirements: Many large retailers and distributors require formal shelf-life data before they will carry a product.
• Brand Protection: Prevents negative reviews and protects your brand's reputation for quality.
• Regulatory Compliance: Provides scientific justification for the date printed on your label.

Our Process:

1. Consultation & Protocol Design: We begin with a detailed consultation to understand your product, its ingredients, your packaging, and its expected storage conditions (e.g., refrigeration, ambient shelf). Based on this, we design a custom study protocol that outlines the testing schedule and the specific analyses to be performed.
2. Incubation & Storage: We store multiple samples of your product under controlled conditions that mimic its real-world environment, pulling samples for analysis at predetermined time points (e.g., Day 0, Week 2, Week 4, etc.).
3. Comprehensive Analysis: At each time point, we perform a suite of tests to measure how your product is changing. This can include:
   • Microbiological Analysis: Monitoring for spoilage organisms like yeast and mold.
   • Chemical Analysis: Measuring changes in pH, water activity, or nutrient degradation.
   • Sensory Analysis: Evaluating changes in color, aroma, and texture.
4. Final Report: You will receive a comprehensive scientific report detailing the findings at each time point, complete with a concluding recommendation for your product's shelf life. This report serves as your official validation document.

In-Depth: Challenge Studies

Ensuring Product Safety with Pathogen Challenge Studies

A challenge study is the definitive way to prove that your product's formulation and processing steps are effective at preventing the growth of harmful pathogens. In these studies, we intentionally introduce a specific pathogen (e.g., Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli) into your product and monitor its survival or growth over time under controlled conditions. This is a critical step for ensuring the safety of many food products, especially those that are new or have novel formulations.

Why is a Challenge Study Critical?

• FSMA Compliance: Provides the scientific validation required for certain preventive controls in your Food Safety Plan.
• Process Validation: Proves that a specific step (like acidification or the addition of a preservative) is effective at controlling a specific hazard.
• Product Formulation Safety: Determines if the inherent characteristics of your product (like its pH, salt content, and water activity) are sufficient to prevent pathogen growth.
• Risk Mitigation: Provides invaluable data to protect public health and shield your brand from the possibility of a devastating recall.

Our Approach:

1. Risk Assessment & Consultation: We work with you to identify the most relevant pathogens and spoilage organisms for your specific product and process.
2. Study Design: Our experts design a robust scientific study, determining the appropriate pathogen(s), inoculum level, and storage conditions that represent a "worst-case" but realistic scenario for your product.
3. Inoculation & Incubation: In our specialized and contained laboratory environment, we carefully inoculate your product with the target microorganism and store it under the defined conditions.
4. Analysis & Reporting: We precisely measure the population of the microorganism at specified intervals throughout the product's shelf life. You will receive a confidential, detailed report presenting the data and a clear conclusion about whether the pathogen was able to grow, survive, or die off in your product. This report is a crucial document for your food safety records.

In-Depth: Process Review Letter (Process Authority Service)

Achieving Regulatory Approval for Your Food Product

For many food entrepreneurs, especially those producing acidified foods (like salsas, pickles, and sauces), a Process Review Letter from a recognized Process Authority is a mandatory step before the product can be legally sold. This official letter serves as a third-party, scientific validation that your product's formulation and manufacturing process are adequate to produce a safe, shelf-stable product, satisfying requirements from agencies like the FDA and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).

Why is a Process Review Letter Essential?

• Regulatory Compliance: It is a required document for registering your product with state and federal agencies.
• Market Access: You cannot legally sell your product in retail or wholesale channels without this approval.
• Food Safety Validation: It provides peace of mind, knowing that your recipe and process have been scientifically vetted by a food safety expert.
• Co-Packer & Distributor Requirement: Many co-packers and distributors will require a Process Review Letter before they will agree to manufacture or carry your product.

Our Process Authority Review Includes:

1. Initial Consultation & Documentation Submission: We start by discussing your product and process. You will provide us with your exact product formulation, detailed step-by-step processing procedures, packaging information, and critical control points (e.g., cook times, temperatures, fill temperatures).
2. Formulation & Process Analysis: Our food safety experts conduct a thorough scientific review of your submission. This includes analyzing the interaction of ingredients, pH levels, and processing parameters to ensure they are sufficient to control potential microbial hazards. We may recommend laboratory analysis of your product (like pH, water activity, and microbiology) to confirm our assessment.
3. Scientific Review & Recommendations: We identify all critical factors in your process and confirm they are adequate. If we identify any potential gaps or areas for improvement, we will work with you to provide clear, practical recommendations to ensure your process is robust and safe.
4. Issuance of the Official Letter: Once the review is complete and the process is deemed safe, we will issue a formal, signed Process Review Letter on NMSU letterhead. This is the official document you will submit to regulatory agencies to get your product to market.