Food and Environmental Microbiology

The Laem­megroup Micro­bi­ology Labo­ra­tory has the equip­ment and analyt­ical methods accred­ited by ACCREDIA to carry out:

• Stan­dard micro­bi­o­log­ical analysis on food including raw mate­rial, inter­me­diate and end products
  Laem­megroup Micro­bi­ology Labo­ra­tory carries out both quan­ti­ta­tive analysis (sulphite-reducing anaer­obes, presump­tive Bacillus cereus, Brochothrix spp., faecal coliforms, total coliforms, ther­mo­tol­erant coliforms, Clostridium perfrigens, sulphite-reducing clostridia, enter­obac­te­ri­aceae, beta-glucuronidase-posi­tive Escherichia coli, MPN Escherichia coli, ente­ro­cocci, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and moulds, Listeria mono­cy­to­genes, MPN Listeria mono­cy­to­genes, total aerobic and anaer­obic microor­gan­isms, aerobic and anaer­obic spore-forming micro-organ­isms, psychotropic microor­gan­isms, pseudomonas spp., coag­u­lase-posi­tive staphy­lo­cocci) and qual­i­ta­tive analysis (Campy­lobacter spp., Escherichia coli 0157, Yersinia ente­ro­co­l­itica pato­gena, Listeria spp and Listeria mono­cy­to­genes (ISO, FSIS and AFNOR PCR-based methods), Salmo­nella spp. (ISO, FSIS and AFNOR PCR-based method) method, Vibrio spp.).
• Stan­dard water analysis
  (water destined for human consump­tion, natural mineral water, spring water, swim­ming pool water)
  The Laem­megroup Micro­bi­ology Labo­ra­tory carries out analyses to deter­mine the bacte­rial count at 22°C, 36°C and 37°C, Escherichia coli, ente­ro­cocci, total coliforms, Clostridium perfrin­gens and spores, sporu­lated sulphite-reducing anaer­obes, Staphy­lo­coccus aureus, Pseudomonas aerug­i­nosae. All of the analyses are carried out with stan­dard­ised methods that comply to regu­la­tions in force.
• Micro­bi­o­log­ical sampling in slaughterhouses
  Surface sampling sponges for animal carcasses in accor­dance with Regu­la­tion (EC) 2073/2005 to research aerobic mesophilic micro-organ­isms, enter­obac­te­ri­aceae, Escherichia coli, and Salmo­nella spp.
• Envi­ron­mental monitoring
  Quan­ti­ta­tive deter­mi­na­tion of micro-organ­isms that indi­cate cont­a­m­i­na­tion and qual­i­ta­tive deter­mi­na­tion of path­o­genic micro-organ­isms on equip­ment and surfaces.
• Micro­bi­o­log­ical analysis of the air
  The analysis is carried out through sampling with Surface Air System (SAS) instruments.
• Research of substance inhibitors (Premi test, 5 strains inhibitors method).
• Research and iden­ti­fi­ca­tion of Legionella spp. and Legionella pneu­mophila on water samples
• Serotyping of salmonella
  This analysis enables assessing if a colony previ­ously iden­ti­fied as salmo­nella spp. belongs to the Salmo­nella typhimurium, Salmo­nella enter­i­tidis or Salmo­nella infantis species.
• Chal­lenge test for Listeria monocytogenes
  This test enables assessing if a ready-to-eat food consti­tutes a suit­able envi­ron­ment for Listeria mono­cy­to­genes growth.
• Shelf-life tests
  The Laem­megroup Micro­bi­ology Labo­ra­tory conducts studies to deter­mine the shelf-life of prod­ucts, meaning the time by which the product is still accept­able from a food safety standpoint.