The Food Processing Center can assist with prompt quality and proximate analysis of natural products, food ingredients and finished products ranging from direct testing for nutrition label requirements to shelf life analysis of lipid stability and total amounts of antioxidant rich polyphenols. If you have a need to know the composition of your food, but lack the facilities to determine it yourself, let us help.
With a range of analytical equipment and services, the Food Processing Center has the capability to assist with other analytical testing and needs as well. Let us know your goals and needs and we will let you know what we can do to help.
Contact
Richard Zbasnik
zbasnik@unl.edu
402 472 4694
Equipment
- High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Ion Chromatography (HPIC)
- Gas Chromatography with Flame-Ion Detection
- Atomic Absorption of Minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium, iron and some heavy metals)
- Particle Size Analysis
Proximate and Compositional
The basic composition of foods including the proximate composition (gravimetric analysis) and more specific analysis of food components.
| Test | Method | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| pH | Direct measure | 5 ml |
| Moisture | Convection oven or vacuum oven drying | 10 g |
| Ash | Muffle furnace | 10g |
| Total Protein | Dumas method | 1g/1ml |
| Crude Lipid (non-dairy) | Solvent extraction by Sohxtech system | 10g |
| Crude Lipid (dairy) | Modified Mojonier | 10g |
| Proximate Composition | Moisture/Ash/Protein/Lipid with carbohydrate by calculation | 40g |
| Total Sugars | HPLC separation with PAD detection | 5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | Enzymatic digestion and gravimetric determination | 5g |
| Minerals | Sodium/Potassium/Calcium/Iron by atomic absorption | 10g |
| Fatty Acid Profile | Gas chromatography with FID | 1 to 40g depending on lipid content |
| Cholesterol/Plant Sterols | Gas chromatography with FID | 1 to 40g depending on lipid content |
| Total Fructooligosaccharides | Enzymatic digestion and HPLC separation with PAD detection | 5g |
| Total Galactooligosaccharides | Enzymatic digestion and HPLC separation with PAD detection | 5g |
| Total Sugar Alcohols | HPLC separation with PAD detection | 5g |
| Grocery Label | Proximates with Sugars, Dietary Fiber, Minerals, Cholesterol and Vitamin D as needed | 100g |
| Restaraunt Label | Proximates with Sugars, Dietary Fiber, Sodium, and Cholesterol as needed | 100g |
Beer and Alcoholic Beverages
Additional testing of the alcohol content of beverages or foods with added liqures.
| Test | Method | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol by Volume (ABV) | Distillation | 350 ml/12oz |
| Alcohol by Volume (ABV) | Gas chromatography with FID | 10ml |
| Standard Reference Method | Spectrophotometric analysis | 10ml |
| International Bitterness Units | Extraction and spectrophotometric analysis | 20ml |
| Total Calories | Real extract, total proteins and total ash | 350 ml/12oz |
Oxidative Damage of Lipids
Add quantitative data to your shelf life testing of lipid damage.
| Test | Method | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Peroxide Value | Spectrophotometric analysis | 2g extractable lipids |
| Thiobarbituric Reactive Species | Spectrophotometric analysis | 1g extractable lipids |
| Conjugated Dienes | Spectrophotometric analysis | 1g extractable lipids |
| Hexanal | Gas chromatography with FID | 10g |
Polyphenols
Determine the total amounts of polyphenols that act as antioxidants in a product, or the amounts of classes of polyphenols.
| Test | Method | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Total Polyphenols | Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent with spectrophotometric analysis | 5g |
| Total Flavonoids | Aluminum complex with spectrophotometric analysis | 5g |
| Total Tannins | Vanillin reaction with spectrophotometric analysis | 5g |
| Total Anthocyanins | pH differential with spectrophotometric analysis | 5g |
Miscellaneous
Additional testing regularly performed for analysis of foods and natural products.
| Test | Method | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Carotenoids | Extraction with HPLC separation with UV/VIS detection | 5g |
| Chlorophyll | Extraction with HPLC separation with UV/VIS detection | 5g |
| Organic Acids | HPLC separation with UV/VIS detection | 2g/5ml |
| Non-Protein Nitrogen | Trichloroacetic acid percipitation with Dumas | 5g/5ml |
| Chitin | Alkaline digestion with gravimetric detection | 10g |
| Vitamin A | HPLC separation with UV/VIS detection | 10g |
| Vitamin E | HPLC separation with UV/VIS detection | 10g |