Milk & Dairy Product Testing

Technical Testing Parameters

The following parameters describe product-specific testing considerations. Test availability, method suitability and accredited coverage are confirmed against the sample and specification before quotation.

• Composition: milk fat; solids-not-fat; total solids; protein; lactose; titratable acidity; pH; ash; moisture in powders and cheese.
• Process and authenticity: alkaline phosphatase for pasteurised milk; added water; urea; starch; sucrose; detergent; melamine; vegetable-fat substitution where relevant.
• Microbiology: aerobic colony count; coliforms; Escherichia coli; coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus; Salmonella spp.; Listeria monocytogenes; yeast and mould. Select by dairy subtype and Appendix B.
• Contaminants: Aflatoxin M1 for milk-based matrices; lead and arsenic where prescribed; veterinary-drug residues such as chloramphenicol, tetracyclines and sulfonamides; relevant pesticide residues.

Select the applicable subset; these are not universal mandatory tests or a statement that every listed test is within the laboratory’s accredited scope.

Regulatory Standards & Compliance

Product mapping: 2.1.

Read the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 as amended, together with the product-specific criteria. Apply the current Contaminants, Toxins and Residues Regulations, 2011 and Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 where relevant.

For microbiology, identify the applicable Appendix B table, sampling plan and test portion. For additives, confirm the correct Appendix A classification and any product-specific restrictions. FoSCoS licensing identifiers are not equivalent to product-standard clauses.

Export limits depend on the destination, commodity and residue definition. Confirm the applicable MRL, reporting limit and effective date. BIS product standards, export certification and laboratory recognition require separate verification; a test report does not itself confer regulatory approval.

• FSSAI food product standards and additives
• FSSAI additive classification in Appendix A
• FoSCoS product mapping
• FSSAI regulations and amendments

Sample Requirements & TAT

Chill pasteurised milk and fresh cheese at 2–8°C; keep frozen dairy frozen; send powders sealed and dry.

Confirm the required quantity, number of unopened units, containers and transport conditions with the laboratory before dispatch. Chemistry portions and sterile microbiology portions may need separate containers; a composite cannot automatically replace an n-unit sampling plan.

Provide the product designation, ingredient list, processing state, batch identity, storage instructions, target market and required specification. Turnaround is confirmed in the quotation after the scope is agreed. Shelf-life, challenge and specialist investigations require a separate study schedule.

Technical FAQs