Food Testing Services

Dr. Sadhana Ravishankar has launched a new website (https://www.foodtesting.arizona.edu/) detailing the food testing services offered by her laboratory located in the Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences (ACBS) building on the University of Arizona main campus.

Dr. Ravishankar is an approved process authority by the Association of Food and Drug Officials (https://www.afdo.org/directories/fpa/), and therefore qualified to help companies manufacture safe food. The Ravishankar Lab has been testing food and beverage products for their safety and quality since 2013, and their services include:

• Shelf-life testing: Canned foods, salsas, sauces, dips, cheeses, ranches, protein bars, fresh produce, juices, meats, poultry, seafood, dairy, etc.
• Microbiological testing: Indicator bacteria, including aerobic plate counts, coliforms, generic Escherichia coli, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and molds, and others
• Foodborne pathogenic bacteria screening for food products: Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter jejuni, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Cronobacter sakazakii.
• Food quality testing: pH, water activity, moisture content, color, texture, viscosity, etc.
• Aflatoxin testing: mesquite flour, corn flour, acorn flour, spices, cereal products, etc.
• Review and/or development of HACCP plans
• Process validation for food products
• Process Authority services
• Efficacy and validation of sanitizers
• Antimicrobial effectiveness testing
• Bacterial survival and transfer in soils, composts, manure, irrigation water, etc.
• Surface, air and water sampling for pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms
• Outreach, consumer acceptability of food products via surveys and sensory analysis

For more information, please contact Dr. Bibiana Law at bibiana@arizona.edu