Microbiology testing services are a crucial requirement across many industries worldwide where products, processes and human health are at risk of being negatively affected by the presence and breeding of micro-organisms such as specific pathogens, bacteria, yeast and moulds.
Every day, products and materials come into contact with micro-organisms. Although many are harmless, many can cause significant contamination, damage and risk to human health. Some microbunites can utilize your product as a food source, breaking the material down into nutrients and irreversibly changing the product whilst other microbunites can spoil food, negatively affect production environments, products and infrastructure. They can cause severe illness or contaminate sterile environments.
Our microbiology laboratory is equipped with the latest state of the art equipment and clean rooms, and operated competent professionals to offer world-class testing services on food, consumer products, cosmetics and beauty products, medical devices, fuels, water, pharmaceuticals and soil and agricultural produce.
We provide microbunitial detection, identification and enumeration services for the food, beverage, animal feed, pharmaceutical and other industries. We use standard methodologies of international organizations such as AOAC, US FDA, ISO, ASTM, FDA BAM and US EPA among others, to assure you of high-quality microbunitiological testing services.
Our mission is to help our clients obtain accurate, fast, and reliable analytical data, and provide solutions to ensure the quality and safety of your products.
Offering a complete array of microbiology Laboratory Testing services at NCTE location. Our services include the analysis of fungi (mold), bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Aerobic Plate Count, Coliforms etc) in air, swab, water, soil, bulk, dust, wipe, food and consumer products. NCTE microbiology also offers PCR Analysis for rapid pathogen detection.
NCTE leads the industry in providing a huge array of laboratory testing services to industry professionals and private users who need fast, reliable, professional laboratory results they can count on.
The microbiology Unit is made up of the following sub-units:
Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Microbiology testing for cosmetics and personal care products is important to product quality and safety and is driven by legislation such as the Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009. Our microbiologists provide preservative challenge testing, total viable count, microbial control limit testing to monitor microbial contamination, research and development support and quality control testing to ensure the quality of your supply chain including raw materials, bulk products and formulated final cosmetic products. We perform efficacy assessment, an important evaluation for any product with antimicrobial function in order to optimise product performance and support bactericidal and fungicidal product claims.
Cosmetics
- Total Mesophilic Aerobes
- Yeast and Molds
- Escherichia coli
- Staphylococcus Aureus
- Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
- Candida Albicans
- Challenge Test / Preservation Efficacy Test
- Shelf-Life Testing
- Chemistry
Food Products Microbiology Services
Our laboratory professional use the latest techniques and can test for the full range of potentially harmful food-borne micro-organisms, including pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter and Listeria, along with spoilage organisms including Yeasts and Moulds. Our experts can also develop and carry out shelf-life testing tailored specifically for your products. Therefore, you can be sure of a high quality, cost effective service which delivers accurate test results that will help to demonstrate compliance with statutory requirements and ensure that safe and quality food is delivered to consumers.
- Food and animal feeding Stuffs
- Environmental samples used in food production and handling
- Animal derived foods and products
- Meat and meat products
- Beverages
- Aerobic Plate Count
- Yeast and Mold Count
- Total Coliform Count and Fecal Coliform Count
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Escherichia coli
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Clostridium perfringens
- Enterobacteriaceae
- Mesophilic Lactic Acid bacteria
- Campylobacter
- Listeria
- Shelf-Life Testing
- Chemistry
Indoor Air Quality
Microbiological monitoring of airborne bacterial and fungal levels combined with tests for carbon dioxide, temperature and humidity give insight into the adequacy and cleanliness of fresh air supply to office areas and therefore gives invaluable information regarding the indoor environment.
Indoor Air Quality
- Yeast and Mold
- Temperature
- % Relative Humidity
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
- Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)
- Oxygen (O2)
Pharmaceuticals
In today's world, as the margin of health risk of marketed products is continuously narrowing, microbiological testing of cosmetic products seems crucial to guarantee consumer safety and product quality. Such measure is of vital importance in order to maintain a good image by the marketing or manufacturing company in the market. Our laboratory meets the demand for evaluating microbiological contamination of topical drug products, nasal solutions and inhalation products.
Pharmaceuticals
- Aerobic Plate Count
- Yeast and Mold Count
- Total Coliform Count
- Salmonella
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Shelf-Life Testing
- Chemistry
Soil and Agricultural Produce
In this area, we serve our farmers, agronomists, natural resource managers, forest managers, fertiliser manufacturers and government partners. We help our clients make informed decisions about the use and management of microbiology in soil, water, compost, fertilisers and other media. Four your agricultural produce, we perform microbiological testing of fresh and/or frozen produce to ensure that your produce meets the highest standards for quality and wholesomeness which must be produced and processed according to the market requirements.
Soil and Agricultural Produce
- Aerobic Plate Count
- Yeast and Mold Count
- Total Coliform Count and Fecal Coliform Count
- Salmonella
- Escherichia coli
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Soil Quality
- Chemistry
Water Testing
To comply with US EPA, WHO, and CARICOM regulations, routine water quality testing is required to evaluate fit for use of water samples by testing for microorganisms, where their presence and growth could present a human health hazard. Our Laboratory offers an extensive range of methods to detect all microorganisms and pathogens associated with contaminated waters.
Water: Potable/Drinking, Recreational, Surface, Wastewaters
- Aerobic Plate Count
- Total Coliform Count
- Fecal Coliform Count
- Enterococci
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa
- Escherichia coli
- Heterotrophic Plate Count
- Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5)
- Chemistry
Water for Hemodialysis
- Endotoxin
- Total Viable Counts (Standard Plate Counts)