Regulatory Guidelines
SFA’s Sale of Food Act:
INCIDENTAL CONSTITUENTS IN FOOD: 31. Heavy Metals, Arsenic and Lead

TENTH SCHEDULE: Maximum Amounts Of Arsenic and Lead Permitted In Food


Unit of Measurement:
ppm or mg/kg (both are the same)

Test Parameters:
Arsenic
Lead
Mercury
Antimony
Tin
Cadmium
Aluminum
Chromium
Manganese
Molybdenum
Selenium
Copper

Minimum sample mass: 20g for sample prep (one-time) + 20g for each individual metal thereafter.
Eg. To test for Arsenic, Lead and Mercury food company will need: 20g + (3 X 20g) = 80g

Lead time: 7 days

Regulatory Guidelines
SFA’s Sale of Food Act:
INCIDENTAL CONSTITUENTS IN FOOD: 35. Microbiological Standards

ELEVENTH SCHEDULE: Microbiological Standards For Ready-To-Eat Food

Unit of Measurement:
cfu/g (for microbes with detection limit)
detection in 25g (for microbes that should be completely absent)

Test Parameters:
Bacillus Cereus
Clostridium Perfringens
Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus Aureus
Enterobacteriaceae 
Escherichia Coli

Listeria Monocytogenes 
Salmonella
Total Yeast and Mould Count (all fungi)
Aerobic Plate Count (all bacteria)

Minimum sample mass: 20-30g/microbes

Lead time: 4-7 days

Regulatory Guidelines
SFA’s Sale of Food Act:
FOOD ADDICTIVE: 19. Chemical Preservatives

FOURTH SCHEDULE: Permitted Chemical Preservative in Selected Food

Unit of Measurement:
ppm or mg/kg
(both are the same)

Test Parameters:
Sulfur dioxide
Benzoic acid
Methyl para-hydroxy benzoate
Sorbic acid
Sodium nitrite
Sodium nitrate
Dimethyl Dicarbonate

Others:
Potassium Sorbate
Calcium Sorbate
Sodium Benzoate
Potassium Benzoate
Calcium Benzoate

To calculate Sorbic Acid from Potassium Sorbate, use the following formula:
[Molecular weight of Sorbic Acid / Molecular weight of Potassium Sorbate]
x
[Amount of Potassium Sorbate in Sample (ppm)]

= Amount of Sorbic Acid in Sample (ppm)

Regulatory Guidelines
SFA’s Sale of Food Act:
INCIDENTAL CONSTITUENTS IN FOOD: 34. Mycotoxins

Test Parameters:
Aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, M2)
Patulin
Type A & B Trichothecenes
Deoxynivalenol
Ochratoxin A
Fumonisins (B1, B2 & B3)
Ergot Alkaloids
Zearalenone
HT2
T2
Others

How does Shelf-life testing work?
The purpose of Shelf-life testing is allow consumer to know when will your food start to accumulate a dangerous level of microbes. 

How does Shelf-life testing work?
Shelf-life testing typically test for “W” microbes, over “X” period of time, every “Y” interval under “Z” condition.

“W”, “X”, “Y” and “Z” variables are to be determined by the food company.

Example:

“W” = List of Microbes Tested: 

1. Enterobacteriaceae
2. Escherichia coli 
3. Clostridium perfringens 
4. Staphylococcus aureus
5. Listeria monocytogenes
6. Salmonella 

“X” = Intended Duration of Storage: 1 year 

“Y” = Interval of Testing: every 1 month

“Z” = Conditions: chilled (0-4degC)

Minimum sample mass: depends

Lead time: depends

Test Parameters:

Almond
ß-Lactoglobulin (BLG)
Casein
Cashew
Coconut
Crustacea
Egg
Egg White
Fish
Gluten 
Hazelnut
Lupin
Lysozyme
Macadamia
Milk
Mollusk
Mustard
Ovalbumin
Peanut
Pine Nut
Pistachio
Sesame
Soy
Walnut
Celery
Oats
Pecan

What is Nutrition Information Panel:

It is the measurement of the nutritional content of food. The nutritional information calculated includes everything from energy to fat and protein content. The nutritional panel includes 14 parameters as required by Singapore Food Agency.

Why nutritional panel:

Nutritional panel is a legal requirement of food regulators worldwide. Furthermore, it gives your customers an overview of the nutritional profile of your product and allows them to make informed decisions on the product to meet their health requirements.

Test results:

1. Energy
2. Moisture
3. Ash
4. Protein
5. Carbohydrate
6. Total Fat
7. Saturated Fat
8. Monounsaturated Fat
9. Polyunsaturated Fat
10. Trans Fat
11. Cholesterol
12. Dietary Fiber
13. Sodium
14. Total sugar

Minimum sample mass: 300 grams

Lead time: 5-7 days

Test Parameters:

Acesulfame-K
Saccharin
Cyclamates (as cyclamic acid)
Neotame
Steviol Glycosides (as steviol)
Sucralose

Vitamins:

1. Vitamin A (Retinol)
2. Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
3. Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
4. Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
5. Vitamin B3 (Nicotinamide)
6. Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)
7. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCl)
8. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
9. Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
10. Vitamin B9 (Folic acid)
11. Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
12. Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
13. Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)
14. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
15. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
16. Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
17. Vitamin K1 (Phylloquinone)
18. Vitamin K2 (Menaquinone)

Minerals

1. Calcium (Ca)
2. Copper (Cu)
3. Iron (Fe)
4. Magnesium (Mg)
5. Manganese (Mn)
6. Phosphorus (P)
7. Potassium (K)
8. Sodium (Na)
9. Zinc (Zn)

Additional details required:

1. Vitamins/Minerals that you would like to test for 
2. What is the test method that you are looking out for (If Any)

Minimum sample mass: Depends on the vitamins/minerals that you are testing, we will advise accordingly

Lead time: 5-7 days

What is proximate analysis:

A method, which determines the values of the macronutrients in food samples. It measures the proximate composition of foods which includes moisture, ash, lipid, protein and carbohydrate contents.

Why proximate analysis:

It is a cheaper way to get an overview of the nutritional profile of your product. Generally, it is used during the product development phase and in manufacturing process to ensure the nutritional quality of the end product.

Test parameters:

Moisture
Protein
Crude Fat
Crude Fibre
Ash
Total Carbohydrate

Minimum sample mass: 100 grams

Lead time: NIL

What is amino acid profiling:

A method to determine the absolute amounts of individual amino acids in your product. This method can be applied to samples containing both free amino acids as well as peptides or protein samples after hydrolysis into amino acids

Why amino acid profiling:

It is frequently used in the research and product development process to quantify different amino acids. This gives you insights into making specific adjustments to reach the desired amount of amino acids.

Test results:

1. Alanine
2. Arginine
3. Asparatic acid
4. Cystine
5. Glutamic Acid
6. Glycinin
7. Histidine
8. Hydroxyprolin
9. Isoleucine
10. Leucine
11. Lysine
12. Methionine
13. Phenylalanine
14. Proline
15. Serine
16. Threonine
17. Tyrosine
18. Valine

Minimum sample mass: 10 grams

Lead time:

5-7 days

What is PDCAAS :

It is a score that relates to a protein’s quality based on human amino acid requirements and the ability to digest the protein. A higher PDCAAS value for a consumer product means a higher percent daily value (%DV).

Why PDCAAS:

It is a score to quantify the level of protein and its bioavailability in relation to human daily requirement. It will be the test to differentiate your protein product from others.

Important Note:  Client must supply source(s) of protein.  If samples contain more than one source of protein, percentage from each source is required. 

Test results: PDCAAS Score

Method of Analysis: Results for 11 amino acids are used in conjunction with the protein value to calculate the amino acid score (AAS). The lowest ratio of this AAS is multiplied by the true protein digestibility value to generate the PDCAAS value. Any PDCAAS score that is  greater than 1.00 are reported as 1.00.

Minimum sample mass: 100 grams

Lead time: 18 days

1. Propyl gallate
2. Octyl gallate
3. Dodecyl gallate
4. Butylated hydroxyanisole (B.H.A.)
5. Butylated hydroxytoluene (B.H.T.)
6. Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)
7. Ascorbyl palmitate
8. Isopropyl citrate mixture (including monoisopropyl citrate)