Foreign Material Identification / Foreign Object Identification refers to the chemical/microscopic analysis and classification of physical contamination and unknown particulate matter found in foods.
It is essentially impossible to list all of the different types of foreign objects that we can examine and identify. A partial list includes:
- glass
- plastic
- hair
- bone fragments
- tooth fragments
- wear metals and other metal objects
- mold
- insects or insect fragments
- rodents or rodent fragments
- caramelized or burnt material
- plant material (leaves, stems, wood, etc.)
- pills
- and virtually any foreign object or material that is found in food!
We have micro-chemical spot tests and the RSID Reader for the following substances:
- blood (presence/absence and human vs. non-human)
- saliva
- urine
- fecal material
- sperm
Food Forensics: A forensic examination will determine if the foreign material was baked-in or processed in finished products such as:
- breads, cakes, muffins, and other bakery products
- ground meat products
- canned fruit and vegetable products
- and many other food products!
We can also determine if meat and vegetable products have reached the Pasteurization temperature.
We can do comparative analyses of:
- plastics
- metals
- fibers/bristles
- and many more substances!
This type of analysis is useful to match a foreign object to it’s source. For instance, does the plastic piece returned by a customer match the gloves used in your restaurant?