PROBLEM SOLVING

Whatever your problem: Consumer Complaints, Processing Problems, Product Quality, Patent Issues, Research Projects; ABC Research is in a unique position to solve it.

ABC has eight departments in a single location offering a full complement of routine chemical and microbiological tests run by a well-trained technical staff and backed up by 40 years of experience. Because our departments are headed by highly trained and experienced professionals, ABC can also provide non-routine problem solving capabilities unavailable elsewhere. From the moment you contact us, a team of experts from eight departments will be assembled to address your problem.

Available Resources include

  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Atomic Spectroscopy
  • Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy
  • X-Ray Diffraction
  • DNA Analysis
  • Pathogen Screening
  • Allergen Screening
  • Optical Microscopy
  • Sensory Evaluation
  • Literature Searches

We have extensive experience identifying

  • Off Flavors
  • Off Odors
  • Economic Adulterants
  • Contaminants:
    • Foreign Objects
    • Hydraulic Fluids
    • Sanitizers
    • Animal/Plant/Insect Parts
    • Microbial
    • Yeast/Mold

We can also provide

  • Analytical support for research projects
  • Chemical, microbiological and sensory analysis for product development
  • Expert testimony

Examples include

  • Litigation Support. A fire in a cold storage warehouse compromised over six million pounds of product. ABC devised and executed a sampling and testing plan that established the viability of the majority of the exposed product and saved our client from bankruptcy.
  • Organoleptic Complaints. A producer of grapefruit juice for a major retail supermarket observed that some batches of juice were brown. The client suspected contamination with an iced tea beverage that was processed with some of the same equipment. Investigation by ABC Research established that there were no tea residues in the off-color product and that the problem was attributable to excessive oxidation of the juice during processing.
  • Economic Adulterants. A distributor of canned meat products produced offshore received complaints of unacceptably bland product. Investigation by ABC Research revealed that one of the client's suppliers was adding soy protein to the product.
  • Foreign Objects. ABC Research receives a steady stream of samples from quality assurance officers and insurance carriers in connection with consumer complaints about foreign objects or substances in food. Typical alleged contaminants include:
    • Capsules. ABC has identified a large number of pills, capsules, or fragments thereof, usually as dietary supplements, over-the-counter or prescription medications.
    • Alleged animal parts. Objects identified by consumers as rodent parts can be tested by DNA analysis. Thus far these have always been identified as unusually shaped pieces of the product itself.

Please contact Dr. Gillian Dagan (GillianD@abcr.com), Director of Product Performance Services, for more information or to discuss your specific needs.