Our method
Our microbiological analysis department is manned by a highly specialised team that provides a service that complies with all legislative requirements and standards defined by APHA, AFNOR, AOAC, FDA, ISO, and USDA.
Our microbiology lab is equipped with modern equipment for basic analysis and testing purposes in the food and environmental sector. Our team can verify the compliance of products to be put on the market, as well as the effectiveness of a company’s self-monitoring plan procedures according to the HACCP system for internal production lines to ensure the safety and healthiness of food.
The microbiological investigations we perform effectively on raw materials, finished products, the production cycle, employees, and surfaces of equipment and processing rooms, allow our customers to assess and monitor all hygiene-health indicators, altering micro-organisms, pathogens and possible toxins of food origin, as provided for by current EU and international regulations.
Marino performs testing and safety tests on products, including microbiological shelf-life studies in simulated thermal abuse conditions, in addition to shelf-life studies and challenge tests, to establish the duration of a food’s commercial life under certain storage conditions.
The analysis
Our microbiology team performs a wide range of microbiological analyses on a variety of products, raw materials, production intermediates, and environmental buffers in the food, feed, and environmental sectors:
- Definition of contamination indicator parameters: total microbial load, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive staphylococci, yeasts and moulds, enterobacteriaceae, pseudomonas spp, sulphite-reducing clostrids, and lactic acid bacteria
- Testing for pathogenic microorganisms: Salmonella spp, Listeria spp and Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus Cereus, Campylobacter spp, Staphylococcus aureus
- Testing for bacterial toxins: staphylococcal enterotoxins
- Analysis of animal carcasses, including total microbial load, enterobacteria and Salmonella testing
- Checks on surfaces to assess the effectiveness of sanitisation processes
- Analysis of water intended for human consumption, food production, and waste water
- Testing for legionella in water intended for human consumption and in process water
- Analysis of compost and sludge from sewage treatment plants
- Air hygiene checks
Workplace health and safety
Marino also deals with workplace health and safety using a variety of sampling equipment, such as swabs, sponges, contact plates, and plates for microbiological air sampling carried out with SAS (Surface Air Systems) and MASs.
We perform air sampling to verify the effectiveness of environmental monitoring plans adopted in the food and hospital sectors. We can verify that critical areas such as clean rooms and associated environments meet the requirements for controlled contamination environments.
We provide our customers with a team of technicians who adopt Accredia-accredited air sampling methodologies.
