NIRDA- LIFE SCIENCES LABORATORY (NIRDA-LSL)
DRAFT LIST OF PARAMETERS IN FOOD TESTING LABORATORIES
1. Introduction
A food is something that provides substances, technically called nutrients, that provide
mainly the energy for body activities, materials for the growth and repair of the body and
materials for keeping the immune system healthy. During the development of any
new food, quality and safety testing must be conducted to gain a clearer understanding of
the product's performance and ensure its compliance to existing standards requirement.
This is crucial to a food manufacturer's overall success.
Within the same purpose, NIRDA has established a testing laboratory (NIRDA-LSL) at its
Huye Research Centre in order to support the private sector to release safe and high food
quality food and pharmaceutical products on the market. NIRDA-LSL is committed to carry
out organoleptic, chemical and microbiological food testing analyses professionally in
order to ensure the marketability and safety of locally produced food products. Below, are
the parameters that NIRDA-LSL is expecting to start with, when developing, verifying and
validating its testing methods.
2. List of some parameters
Main parameters Method principle or Testing Commodity
method
Cadmium content RS ISO 17239: 2004 (TBA) Fruits, vegetables and derived
Arsenic content products
Lead content RS ISO/TS 6733: 2006 (TBA) Milk and milk products
Calcium, sodium, RS ISO 8070: 2007 (TBA)
potassium and
magnesium content
Phosphorus content RS ISO 6491: 1998 (TBA) Animal feeding stuffs
Calcium content RS ISO 6490-1: 1985 (TBA)
Iron content RS ISO 6732: 2010 (TBA) Milk and milk products
Lead, calcium, sodium, AAS Machine instructions (TBD) Other food and pharmaceutical
potassium, cadmium, products, soil, fertilizers, etc. ????
iron, magnesium, arsenic,
phosphorus content
Protein content (N) LECO Protein Analyzer Solid food, pharmaceuticals, nuts,
instructions (TBD) flours
Nitrogen content/protein RS ISO 8968-4: 2016 (TBA) Milk and milk products
and non-protein nitrogen
Total protein
Moisture content INFRATEC Grain analyzer Grains and grain flours
Starch instructions ( (TBD)
Wet gluten
Test weight
Oil
Ash
Fiber
Total dietary fibers Machine instructions (ANKOM Food products, pharmaceutical
Fiber analyzer) (TBD) products
Titratable acidity RS ISO 750: 1998 (Acquired) Fruit and vegetable products
RS ISO 6092: 1980 (TBA) Dried milk
Titratable acidity of milk RS ISO/TS 22113: 2012 (TBA) Milk and milk products
fat
Fat content (crude/total) RS ISO 11085: 2015 (TBA) Cereals, cereals-based products,
animal feeding stuffs
RS ISO 8262-1: 2005 (TBA) Milk and milk products
Soxtherm instructions (TBD) Other food and pharmaceutical
products
pH (acidity) RS ISO 1842: 1991 Fruit and vegetable products
pH-meter instructions (TBD) Other products (water, food and
pharmaceuticals products, soil,
organic fertilizers, etc.)
Water activity Water activity meter instructions Solid and semisolid food and
(TBD) pharmaceutical products
Total ash/organic matter RS ISO 2171: 2007 (Acquired) Cereals, pulses and by-products
Muffle furnace instruction (TBD) Other food and pharmaceutical
products
Crude ash RS ISO 5984: 2002 (TBA)
Available lysine RS ISO 5510: 1984 (TBA) Animal feeding stuffs
Trypsin inhibitor activity RS ISO 14902: 2001 (TBA)
of soya products
Amino acids content RS ISO 13903: 2005 (TBA)
Total sugar (brix, Refractometer instructions Food and pharmaceutical products
refractive index) (TBD)
Alcohol by volume, Acetic CDR Wine Lab instructions Wine must, beer
acid, L-malic acid, L- (TBD)
Lactic acid, Galacturonic
Acid, pH, Total acidity,
Free sulfur dioxide SO2),
Total SO2, Fermentable
sugars, Yeast Assimilable
Nitrogen (YAN), Ethanal,
Tannins, (….)
Moisture content/ Dry RS ISO 5537: 2004 (TBA) Dried milk
matter
RS ISO 712: 2009 (Acquired) Cereals and cereal products
Total suspended solids RS ISO 6734: 2010 (TBA) Sweetened condensed milk
Filtration (TBD) Other liquid food and beverages
Total salts Precipitation (TBD) Foods and pharmaceutical products
Quantitative analysis Spectrophotometry (TBD) Food & pharmaceuticals
Turbidity Turbidimeter instructions (TBD) Liquid foods and pharmaceuticals
Density Density meter instructions Foods and pharmaceuticals
(TBD)
Viscosity Viscometer instruction (TBD) Viscous & semisolid foods and
pharmaceuticals
Tannin content RS ISO 9648: 1988 (TBA) Sorghum
Extraneous matter and RS ISO 927: 2009 (TBA) Spices and condiments
foreign matter content
Insolubility index RS ISO 8156:2005 (TBA) Dried milk and dried milk products
Refractive index of the fat RS ISO 1739: 2006 (TBA) Butter
Enumeration of RS ISO 7889: 2003 (TBA) Yoghurt
characteristic
microorganisms
Enumeration of RS ISO 6888-1: 1999 (TBA) Food and animal feeding stuffs
coagulase-positive
staphylococci
Enumeration of yeasts RS ISO 21527-2: 2008
and molds (Acquired)
Low numbers of RS ISO 21871: 2006 (TBA)
presumptive Bacillus
cereus
Enumeration of RS ISO 7251: 2005) (Acquired)
presumptive
Escherichia coli
Detection and NF EN ISO 9308-1 :2000/ Mineral and natural water (without
enumeration of coliforms Méthode par filtration sur suspended matter unable to pass
and E. coli membrane (New & draft through the membrane)
developed)
Detection, enumeration Food chain
and serotyping of RS ISO 6579-1: 2017 (Acquired)
Salmonella
Enumeration of coliforms RS ISO 4832: 2006 (Acquired) Food and animal feeding
stuffs
Enumeration of RS ISO 4833-1: 2013 (Acquired) Food chain
microorganisms
Volatile acidity RS ISO 6632: 1981 (TBA) Fruits and Vegetables
Ascorbic Acid Content RS ISO 6557-2: 1984 (TBA)
Ethanol Content RS ISO 2448: 1998
Acidification activity of RS ISO 26323: 2009 (TBA) Milk products
dairy cultures by CpH
Freezing point RS ISO 5764: 2009 (TBA) Milk
Fat acidity RS ISO 1740: 2004 (TBA) Milk fat products and butter
Disinfecting efficacy RS EAS 789: 2013 (Acquired) Instant hand sanitizers
Sampling RS ISO 5555: 2001 (TBA) Animal and vegetable fats and oils
RS ISO 707: 2008 (TBA) Milk and milk products
RS ISO 24333: 2009 (TBA) Cereals and cereal products
RS ISO 6497: 2002 (TBA) Animal feeding stuffs
Sample preparation RS ISO 6498: 2012 TBA)
RS ISO 6887-3: 2017 (TBA) Food and animal feeding stuffs (Fish
& fishery products)
RS ISO 6887-4: 2017 (TBA) food and animal feeding stuffs
(Products other than fish and fish
products)
Note:
- The above listed ISO methods do not include sampling sample handling and sample
preparation, and machine working instructions
- TBA (= To Be Acquired) = these are the testing methods ordered from RSB and not yet
acquired
- TBD (= To Be Developed): these are the testing methods already available at laboratory
that need verification;
- After exhausting the list of parameters, they should be classified following wat we can
carry out so far and begin verification and validation.
Prepared on 22nd July 2021
By:
Viateur UGIRINSHUTI Samson BIMENYIMANA Axelle MUGISHA
Lab Technician Lab Sample Admin Lab Sample Admin
