The Food Control Center is one of the leading laboratories in the Republic of Croatia in the area of food quality control. Statutory regulations determine the conditions for the quality of honey, fruit juices and nectars; jams, marmalades, preserves etc.; spirits; cocoa and chocolate products; edible oils and fats; olive fruit oils; greases; tuna and Atlantic bonito products; pilchard products; milk and dairy products; coffee extracts; kitchen salt; sugar; meat products; wheat and wheat products etc.
Food for special food purposes (children's food, food for weight loss diets, food for special medical purposes, nutrient-enriched food) – we verify the information that indicates nutritive values.
The Food Control Center performs also controls of the quality of vegetable raw materials based on the European pharmacopoeia and the content of active components in raw materials and finished preparations.
Food quality control requires a high level of professional qualification of the staff involved in sensory, physical/chemical and chemical tests. The following food quality tests are performed in the Food Control Center:
- water; loss on drying; dry matter
- mineral residue (ash), ash insoluble in HCl, ash soluble in water etc.
- fats
- proteins; nitrogen
- hydro-carbons (sugar, starch, fibers)
- fatty acids content (ratio of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, ratio of trans fatty acids, ratio of omega fatty acids)
- hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF)
- diastase activity
- electrical conductivity
- essential oils and essential oil content
- strength of alcoholic drinks; ethanol; methanol; higher alcohols; aldehyde; ester
- iodine number; peroxide number; acid number; saponification number; free fatty acids
- acidity
- salt (NaCl)
- pH-value
- refractive index
- (dielectric) constant in olive oil
- admixtures
- pollen analysis