Comprehensive Food Lab Testing Guide
1. Proximate Analysis
Moisture Content
**Method:** Oven Drying Method
**Instrument:** Hot Air Oven
**Procedure:**
1. Weigh an empty crucible and record its weight.
2. Weigh 5g of the food sample into the crucible.
3. Dry in a hot air oven at 105°C for 4-6 hours until constant
weight.
4. Cool in a desiccator and weigh again.
5. Moisture (%) = [(Initial Weight - Final Weight) / Initial Weight]
× 100.
**Standard Range:** Cereals: 10-14%, Meat: 50-75%, Fruits &
Vegetables: 75-95%
Ash Content
**Method:** Muffle Furnace Method
**Instrument:** Muffle Furnace
**Procedure:**
1. Weigh an empty crucible.
2. Weigh 5g of dried sample into the crucible.
3. Place in a muffle furnace at 550°C for 4-6 hours.
4. Cool in a desiccator and weigh the residue.
5. Ash content (%) = (Weight of Ash / Sample Weight) × 100.
**Standard Range:** Cereals: 0.5-2%, Meat: 0.7-1.5%, Fruits &
Vegetables: 0.2-1.5%
Protein Content
**Method:** Kjeldahl Method
**Instrument:** Kjeldahl Apparatus
**Procedure:**
1. Digest the sample with concentrated sulfuric acid and a catalyst.
2. Neutralize with NaOH and distill ammonia into boric acid.
3. Titrate with HCl to determine nitrogen content.
4. Convert nitrogen to protein using a factor (e.g., 6.25 for general
foods).
**Standard Range:** Cereals: 7-15%, Meat: 15-25%, Dairy: 3-4%
Fat Content
**Method:** Soxhlet Extraction
**Instrument:** Soxhlet Apparatus
**Procedure:**
1. Weigh 5g of the sample and place it in a thimble.
2. Extract with hexane for 6-8 hours.
3. Evaporate hexane and weigh the residue.
4. Fat content (%) = (Weight of Fat / Sample Weight) × 100.
**Standard Range:** Cereals: 1-5%, Meat: 10-30%, Dairy: 3-6%
Crude Fiber
**Method:** Weende Method
**Instrument:** Fiber Analyzer
**Procedure:**
1. Digest sample with 1.25% H2SO4 and then with 1.25% NaOH.
2. Filter, dry, and weigh the residue.
3. Incinerate in a muffle furnace at 550°C.
4. Crude fiber (%) = (Weight Before Ashing - Weight After
Ashing) / Sample Weight × 100.
**Standard Range:** Cereals: 2-12%, Vegetables: 1-6%, Fruits: 1-
5%
Carbohydrates
**Method:** By Difference Method
**Instrument:** Calculation-Based
**Procedure:**
Carbohydrate content is calculated as:
100 - (Moisture + Ash + Protein + Fat + Fiber).
**Standard Range:** Cereals: 60-80%, Fruits: 5-20%, Dairy: 4-
6%
2. Chemical and Food Safety Tests
Saponification Value
**Method:** Titration Method
**Instrument:** Burette, Pipette
**Procedure:**
1. Dissolve fat sample in ethanol and KOH solution.
2. Heat under reflux for 30 minutes.
3. Titrate excess KOH with HCl using phenolphthalein indicator.
4. Calculate saponification value as mg KOH per gram of fat.
**Standard Range:** Oils: 180-200 mg KOH/g
Formalin Test (Milk)
**Method:** Chemical Reaction
**Instrument:** Test Tubes
**Procedure:**
1. Add 2mL of milk to a test tube.
2. Add 2-3 drops of formalin reagent.
3. Heat in a water bath for 5 minutes.
4. Presence of a violet ring indicates formalin adulteration.
**Standard Range:** Should be absent in milk
pH Measurement
**Method:** pH Meter
**Instrument:** pH Electrode
**Procedure:**
1. Calibrate the pH meter with standard buffers.
2. Immerse the electrode in the food sample solution.
3. Record the pH value.
**Standard Range:** Milk: 6.6-6.8, Meat: 5.5-6.2, Fruits: 3.0-5.5
Spectrophotometry (Food Color)
**Method:** UV-Vis Spectrophotometry
**Instrument:** Spectrophotometer
**Procedure:**
1. Prepare food extract and dilute appropriately.
2. Set spectrophotometer to the required wavelength (e.g., 420nm
for caramel).
3. Measure absorbance and compare with standards.
**Standard Range:** Varies by food dye (E-numbers)
3. Microbiological Testing
Total Plate Count (TPC)
**Method:** Pour Plate Method
**Instrument:** Incubator, Petri Dishes
**Procedure:**
1. Prepare serial dilutions of the food sample.
2. Pour 1mL onto Plate Count Agar and incubate at 35-37°C for
24-48 hours.
3. Count colonies and express results as CFU/g.
**Standard Range:** <10^5 CFU/g for most foods
Coliforms
**Method:** MPN Method
**Instrument:** Lactose Broth, Incubator
**Procedure:**
1. Inoculate sample in lactose broth tubes.
2. Incubate at 35-37°C for 24-48 hours.
3. Observe gas production and confirm with brilliant green bile
broth.
**Standard Range:** <10 CFU/g for processed foods
Salmonella
**Method:** Selective Media Culturing
**Instrument:** XLD Agar, Incubator
**Procedure:**
1. Pre-enrich sample in buffered peptone water.
2. Streak onto XLD agar and incubate at 37°C for 24 hours.
3. Confirm biochemically.
**Standard Range:** Absent in 25g of food
