Nutrition testing is a requisite part of analytical chemistry. It determines the food’s nutrient contents, including structure, chemical composition, quality control, processing, and contamination. Trade and food laws impose nutrition testing. Food Nutrition testing is not only for human food but also for pet feeds and dietary supplements.
Nutrient Testing Methods Types and their Importance
In Brief:
- Are you a health-sensible person who checks the nutritional data on foodstuffs diligently whenever on a grocery shopping spree? Well, nowadays many people are very cautious about what we intake in our body.
- To make it suitable to make healthier adoptions when it comes to food products, the concept of nutrition labelling testing emerged
- Food research lab explains the complete essay about food nutrient testing and provides you with nutritional testing services.
Introduction
Nutrition testing is a requisite part of analytical chemistry. It determines the food’s nutrient contents, including structure, chemical composition, quality control, processing, and contamination. Trade and food laws impose nutrition testing. Food Nutrition testing is not only for human food but also for pet feeds and dietary supplements. (1)
Reasons for food product analysis
- Manufacturer declaration about the product is verified using nutrition testing mainly about the ingredients used
- The test is through from raw materials, start and end of the manufacturing process and the final product
- Food testing is through to ensure food manufacturers meet the standards and laws
- To make a nutrition label which is must for every food product
- Any nasty rumour about a product’s nutrition can be empty using nutrition analysis
Nutrition label
Nutrition label consists of details that a particular quantity of a specific food product consists of how much quantity and nutrition label testing and other essential compounds and the safety proof of those compounds.
The variation in nutrition labels majorly,
- Dual column label
- Single-ingredient sugar labels
Methods for nutrient analysis
There are various methods which are certified by the officials (FDA) for nutrient analysis.
The variation in nutrition labels majorly,
- Laboratory analysis
- Nutrient analysis software
- Laser scanning confocal microscopy
- Immunoassays
- Mass spectrometry
Laboratory analysis
There are specific testing facilities available; the prepared food materials are given to these facilities to estimate the nutrition quantity and quality in the food nutritional analysis lab. Suppose the food is to be ready in a certain way before consuming it is necessary to estimate the after the nutritional value of food. It depends on the method of the process that is most common for ingredients to be cast-off in cooking. The laboratory studies need specific guidance and knowledge. (2)
Nutritional analysis testing software
Nutrition analysis software in food testing companies combines food portion size information, population dietary reference values and nutrient calculations. It is the most time consuming than the manual process, but it certainly depends on standard recipes of the particular product.
Some of the nutrition analysis software is,
- Nutrium
- My pt hub
- Nutrasoft
- Indigo
- Nutracoster
- Genesis r&d food labelling
- Chieftec
- Nutritionist pro
- A la calc
- Hawk scanner
- Minimax
- Calculate
- Dieterich
- Fd meal planner
- Food works nutrition labelling
Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM)
LSCM illuminates the sample using highly intensified laser beams rather than visible light, analyzing samples at various focal planes, even using a small piece. Using the microscope details about different consecutive optical sections of the specimen can be obtained using the microscope details’ adjustment. The significant applications of LSCM in food analysis are
- Description of fats in bulk
- Biopolymer mixtures
- Emulsion system
- Gel-like emulsion
The significant advantage of lscm is the 3d analysis of the product. It uses compound-specific fluorescent probes which make it possible to image the presence, state and spatial organization of the compounds.
Immunoassay
Immunoassay techniques are more specific and sensitive, utilizing immunological reaction (antigen and antibody response) to detect naturally occurring constituents, pesticide residue, microbes or their by-products related to food analysis. The various immunoassay techniques include ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), ria (radioimmunoassay) etc. Utilizes both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.
Advantages
- Cost-efficient
- Simple equipment
- Less analysis time
Disadvantages
- Maintaining reliability
- Unstable sensitivity
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectrometry uses mass to charge ratio to analyze the samples, giving a detailed account of their structures. Gas chromatography (GC-ms) is majorly used in food analysis. Sterols, alcohol, fatty acid, and low mass carbohydrates are analyzed numerically, including pesticides, pollutants, toxins, and drugs. It is used for the quantification of polyphenols in fruits and vegetables.
Advantages
- It provides a sensitive response to the most analyte
- It includes information about a specific class of compound
- It includes information about the various structure of the compound
- It has high resolution and separation capacity
- Less time consuming comparatively than other methods
- It determines molecular weight and fragmentation pattern of the compounds
- Simple rapid and reproducible technique
- Good accuracy and precision
Disadvantages
- Low sensitivity
- Affected by fluctuation in temperature and flow rate
Specific nutrient analysis in food nutrition testing services
- Anti nutrient testing
- Amino acid testing
- Carbohydrate testing
- Enzyme testing
- Fatty acid testing
- Fats and oil testing
- Food allergen testing
- Trace metal analysis
- Preservative and antioxidant testing
- Proximate
- Shelf-life testing
- Vitamin testing
Importance for nutrition analysis
In the modern world, new functions than the standard supply of energy and nutrients are assigned to nutrition such as food components with biological activities. It is essential to know about distribution and amount of bioactive compounds in the food. Food concentration depends on plant variety, cultivation, geographical conditions, and processing methods. They also provide the basis for the recipe formation and new production methods.
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Conclusion
Food analysis mainly focuses on the nutritional value of the products, and additional compounds added, the presence of any toxic elements, the effect of food processing and quality. The nutritional analysis is a complex testing but the fundamental variable for food labelling, which is mandatory throughout society’s benefits. Food research lab tells out the food nutrient analysis and offers food nutrition testing services.
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