Agro-food

CHEMICAL DEPARTMENT

Our chemical department is equipped with technologically advanced scientific instruments and equipment that allow us to use the most up-to-date instrumental analytical techniques, including:

Gas chromatography (GC) with electron-capture detectors (ECDs) and flame ionisation detectors (FIDs), gas chromatography-mass spectrometers (GC/MS) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometers (GC/MSMS), headspace gas chromotography-mass spectrometers (GC-HS/MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with DAD, RID, and FLUORESCENCE detectors, Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MSMS), ion chromatography (IC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP/MS), atomic absorption spectrometry (AA), UV-VIS molecular spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

We pay special attention to the dairy sector at our dedicated laboratory, which is fully equipped with the most up-to-date equipment so that we can manage and address issues relating to the dairy sector and derivatives on a large scale.

Our laboratory performs product analyses and quality controls to verify nutritional characteristics and ascertain the presence/absence of limited or forbidden substances.

In particular, we:

Perform nutritional analyses to define the macro constituents of all types of foods (to two decimal points). We determine the proteins, complex carbohydrates, and simple sugars (monosaccharides, disaccharides and trisaccharides) of fats – which we break down into saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats, trans fatty acids, and omega fatty acids – in addition to cholesterol, dietary fibre, salt content (such as NaCl), and minerals (calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, iodine);
Calculate energy values expressed in kcals and kJ
Draft nutrition and energy panels for the main target markets (Europe, USA, Canada, etc.)
Calculate RDIs (Reference Daily Intake) and daily values in % to comply with the parameters in place for US labelling: calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins
Characterise sugars (sucrose, glucose, lactose, galactose, and maltose, etc.)
Determine water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin C)
Establish quality and authenticity parameters for oils according to CEE Reg. 2568/1991, and subsequent amendments (acidity, peroxides, UV spectrophotometric analysis (K232, K270 and Delta-K), acid composition, sterols, etc.)
Establish quality parameters for wines and musts (total, fixed and volatile acidity, pH, alcohol by volume, density and relative density at 20°C, ash, sulphur dioxide, total and reduced dry extract, methanol and reducing sugars)
Characterise the composition of meat and derivatives (fats, protein, moisture, and collagen)
Analyse solid impurities in foods (Filth Test)
Additives and preservatives (sorbic acid, benzoic acid, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, formaldehyde, nitrites and nitrates, propionic acid, and lactic acid)
Acidity regulators and antioxidants (ascorbic acid and citric acid, EDTA, etc.)
Stabilisers (polyphosphates)

Veterinary drug research: substances with an anabolic effect (steroid hormones, natural hormones, β-agonists, thyroid hormones); antibacterial substances:

Tetracyclines (chlortetracyclines, tetracyclines)
Amphenicols (Chloramphenicol, Thiamphenicol, Florfenicol)
Nitrofuran metabolites (Semicarbazide)
Sulfamides (Sulfaquinoxaline, Sulfadiazine, Sulfadimethoxine, Sulfamerazine, Sulfamethoxypyridazine, Sulfathiazole)
β-lactam (Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Penicillin)
Macrolides (tylosin, erythromycin, spiramycin)
Fluoroquinolones (danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, sarafloxacin)
Allergen testing (gluten, sulphur dioxide (SO2), celery, etc.)

We determine chemical-physical parameters and the composition of milk, including:

Fat, protein, casein, lactose, cell count, testing for inhibitory substances, cryoscopy, pH, sH acidity, chlorides, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, alcohol test, total and reduced dry residue, density (specific mass), enzymatic activity, urea, Total fatty acids, somatic cells, ammonia.
Monitoring of geometric mean somatic cell counts per Reg. 853/2004, and subsequent amendments
Characterisation of nitrogen fractions (protein nitrogen (PN) and non-protein nitrogen (NPN), casein nitrogen (NC), and non-casein nitrogen (NCN);
Enzymatic indicator testing to assess heat treatment (alkaline phosphatase, peroxidase)
Determination of heat treatment indicators (lactulose, furosine)
Triglycerides (purity of milk fat in milk products)
Assessment of yield and aptitude for cheese-making
Testing for species in milk and dairy products (cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo)
Cheese compositions to two decimal points (moisture, ash, ash alkalinity, pH, fats and proteins, total dry residue, chlorides, and salt (such as NaCl)
Lactose in lactose-free products
Hydrogen peroxide testing
L-Lactic acid
Acido L-Lattico
Testing of fermentation metabolites (lactic, citric, butyric, and propionic acid, etc.)

Analysis of environmental and anthropogenic contaminants

Aluminium (Al)
Arsenic (As)
Boron (B)
Beryllium (Be)
Cadmium (Cd)
Cobalt (Co)
Chromium (Cr)
Copper (Cu)
Iron (Fe)

Manganese (Mn)
Nickel (Ni)
Lead (Pb)
Selenium (Se)
Thallium (Ti)
Vanadium (V)
Zinc (Zn)
Mercury (Hg)

Testing for volatile and non-volatile phenols
Mycotoxins (aflatoxins, trichothecenes, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, fumonisins)
Phthalates
Acrylamide and Epichlorohydrin
Melamine
Total bromide
Determination of disinfection products in water treatment (trialmethanes): chloroform, dibromochloromethane, bromodichloromethane, bromoform
Radioactivity in drinking water

Multi-residue analysis – Phytopharmaceuticals, pesticides, and individual methods on a total number of more than 800 active ingredients to comply with current legislation quickly, including in just 12 hours in the fruit and vegetable sector

The main classes of pesticide residues we analyse include:

Herbicides, fungicides, acetamide, benzimidazole, dicarboximides, heterocyclics, phenylamides, phosphorates, anilazines, nitrogen/aromatic, quinoxaline, thiophthalimide, triazole/pyridine, fumigants, phosphorus hematocides, pyrethroids and growth regulators
Polar pesticides, glyphosate, fosetyl-al, etephon, chlorate, perchlorate, phosphonic acid and maleic hydrazide, chlormequat, mepiquat, matrine
Carbamates
Dithiocarbamates (such as CS2)

Marino SRL provides analytical support and can test the aromatic composition and volatile compounds of food products.

We test new formulations and identify organoleptic defects, as well as how aromatic profiles develop over time during a product’s shelf-life: – Determination of limited aromatic substances – Screening and characterisation of the volatile aromatic fraction of foods via GC/MS-SPME;

Quality control of mineral water and drinking water

per Legislative Decree No. 31/2001, as amended, and Ministerial Decree of 10 February 2015, implementing Directive 2009/54/EC for mineral and spring waters. Below is a list of the main parameters we monitor:

Alkalinity
Ammoniacal nitrogen
Free carbon dioxide at the source
Total nitrogen
Active and combined chlorine
Chloride
Colour
Specific electrical conductivity
Total hardness
Phenol
Fluoride
Nitrates
Nitrites

Odour
Oxidisability
Dissolved oxygen
pH
Fixed residue at 180°C
Taste
Sulphates
Sulphites
Solfuri
Turbidity
Temperature
Acrylamide
Aluminium

Pesticides
Arsenic
Boron
Bromate
Cadmium
Cyanide
Chlorite
Vinyl chloride
Tetrachloroethylene
Trichloroethylene
Total trihalomethanes
Benzene

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Bacterial load at 20°C
Bacterial load at 37°C
Coliform bacteria at 37°C
Faecal coliforms
Enterococci
Mycetes counts and testing: filamentous fungi and yeasts
Faecal streptococci
Clostridium perfringens
Sporigenic sulphite-reducing anaerobic bacteria
Staphylococcus aureus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Salmonella spp
Legionella spp and Legionella pneumophila

AGRO-ZOOTECHNICAL

MARINO SRL can perform checks and laboratory tests on feed and food intended for animals, for quality control purposes, nutritional analysis, formulation and testing of contaminants in feed, in addition to input raw materials, and company products (silo maize, unifeed, corn mash, etc..):

MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT

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.

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

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.

BIOMOLECULAR ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT

Our biomolecular team has a dedicated lab where it performs DNA extraction, prepares reaction mixes, and performs amplification and DNA detection. Our biomolecular laboratory is equipped with the latest generation of technologically advanced instruments. Our team can:

Define 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
Test for pathogenic microorganisms: Salmonella spp, Listeria spp and Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus Cereus, Campylobacter spp, Staphylococcus aureus
Identify and quantify the DNA of animal species in processed meat, sausages, canned meat, cheese, milk, and feed using real-time PCR
Test for durum wheat soft wheat flour
Detect and quantify gluten with monoclonal antibody R5

We also use fast molecular biology methods using real-time PCR techniques to search for foodborne pathogens: Salmonella spp, Listeria spp and Listeria monocytogenes, with the utmost precision and reliability and results in 24h.

Most of the analytical methods we use are accredited by ACCREDIA. Marino is also recognised by the Italian Celiac Association for the detection and quantification of gluten with the monoclonal antibody R5.