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Laboratory Services

As we continue to make and deliver the world’s finest pet food, we continue to invest in state of the art laboratories that provide cutting edge technology. GA Pet Food’s core value of Quality is of paramount importance in all functions of the business, and none more so than the on-site laboratory.

All ingredients (800+) at GA Pet Food are subjected to numerous quality checks to ensure only the best ingredients are accepted for use in the products. Every ingredient has an individual tailor-made testing regime and specification in line with the attributes and vulnerabilities of the ingredients. Detailed risk assessments of each ingredient have determined these prior to purchase.

The ingredient specifications and testing schedules are regularly reviewed and updated in line with new and developing threats within the food and feed industry. Specifications also ensure legal and safety compliance as well as nutritional and quality compliance.

This unique system ensures the full traceability of every product.

The Laboratory tests all our pet food and ingredients to ensure they are completely safe and provide the best quality to the pets.

Rancidity Checks and Positive Release

Oxidation is a series of natural chemical reactions that degrade the quality of fats and oils. All oils are in a state of oxidation, so we must analyse the stage of oxidation before accepting the material for use in production. To achieve this, all fats and oils are tested for signs of primary oxidation by testing and comparing the peroxide value against the free fatty acid level using QCL and METALAB.

All fats, oils and meals are also closely analysed for distinct taints of rancidity aroma against reference samples by experienced analysts.

Mycotoxin and Heavy Metal Testing

Every delivery of grain, cereals and crops is analysed within our laboratory for mycotoxins, including Aflatoxin, Fumonisin, Ochratoxin, Zearalenone, T-2/HT-2 and Deoxynivalenol.

Ingredients are tested for heavy metals on a frequency according to the risk assessment based testing schedule. Testing is currently completed by an external UKAS accredited laboratory and includes Arsenic, Cadmium, Fluorine, Lead and Mercury.

We are looking to add heavy metal testing to our internal laboratory testing facilities, which will allow an increase in testing and a reduction in result turnaround time.

Every ingredient delivered is compared to a reference sample of the previous delivery from our sample library.

Additional samples are stored in our archive store should any future tests be required. Each ingredient is reviewed on an individual basis. Many different factors are considered when setting the target and tolerance width. There is no one set rule.

New Equipment

The following equipment allows GA Pet Food to undertake in house PV & FFA tests on all meals and oils. These tests are to ensure that GA Pet Food only use the best ingredients. The equipment needed to extract oil from a dry meal sample is as follows.

CEM Edge

The CEM Edge uses solvents to extract the oil from Dry Raw Material samples, allowing our Laboratory to test the pet food we make, and all the ingredients that go into it more thoroughly and precisely than ever before.

The CEM Edge uses solvents to extract the oil from Dry Raw Material samples

Biotage – TurboVap LV

The Biotage - TurboVap LV removes the solvents used to extract the oil from the meal, allowing our Laboratory to test the pet food we make, and all the ingredients that go into it more thoroughly and precisely than ever before.

The Biotage – TurboVap LV removes the solvents used to extract the oil from the meal to make it ready for testing

Mettler Toledo – T7 Titrator

The Mettler Toledo T7 Titrator unit can test any oil sample for PV (peroxide value) or FFA (free fatty acids)

An Interview With Maja Migas – Laboratory Manager

Maja is the Laboratory Manager, where her and her team test in the laboratory pet food and all the raw ingredients that go into the pet food recipe.

What is your previous experience of working in laboratories?

My academic background includes a BSc and MSc in Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. It provides me with a broad theoretical foundation in various fields of bioscience, such as Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology in the food industry, genetic engineering methods, in vitro cultures and Embryology. During my time at University, I also had an excellent opportunity to be a part of the team which worked on the laser therapy used in cancer treatment.

My career has always been associated with the food industry. My first job was working in a very busy Microbiological Laboratory, where the primary responsibility was carrying out microbiological checks on raw materials, finished goods and environmental testing. In addition to this role, assistance to technical management with implementing and maintaining the standards for a quality system, BRC, accreditation and project work was also part of my role.

During that time, I was also able to develop new testing methods and set up a brand-new testing facility. Since November 2016, I have worked for GA Pet Food, where my career progressed from Laboratory Development Technician to Laboratory Manager.

What changes have you seen in laboratory testing at GA Pet Food in recent years?

I have worked for GA Pet Food for almost nine years, and it’s incredible to see how in-house laboratory testing has changed over the last few years. We have increased internal testing and can now report the result much quicker. We have developed an industry-leading in-house laboratory that enables real-time process control decisions to be made based on objective evidence.

The GA Pet Food laboratory employs the latest in rapid technologies and provides integrity data to ensure both goods in and goods out pass all the necessary criteria. Equipped with the most advanced instruments allowing rapid parameter assessment & generating objective data, we can report most wet chemistry results in minutes instead of hours.

Thanks to the rapid testing methods in 2019, we performed 78,297 tests (wet chemistry + microbiological testing) which is 20,000 more tests than in 2018.

What do you think is the most significant benefit(s) of the new laboratory facilities for our Partners?

GA Pet Food’s Quality & Food Safety laboratory showcases the very best & innovative approaches to testing pet food ingredients and finished products. It is designed to be cross-functional with set areas covering Nutritional & Regulatory Compliance, Authenticity & Microprofiling, Safety, Sensory & Quality. The laboratory satisfies the strategic brief by enhancing our partner’s confidence and adding value to the finished products by delivering:

  • Analytical Integrity – Robust test methods & working within partners’ specifications results
  • Accessible Data & analytical transparency
  • Operational Value-Adding – Process control by fast & accurate analysis

What do you think the future looks like for pet food production and testing?

Pet food is one of the fastest-growing segments in the food industry. Partners do not want traditional pet food. Instead, pet owners are looking for pet food that reflects their taste. As a result, we can already see an increase in premium products with natural, organic, grain-free ingredients and made to order diets.

I think that minerals, vitamins and heavy metal testing will increase in the future because of partner and end-customer demands. The end customer wants healthy ingredients, and they want to understand the ingredients list. Therefore, I think that the pet food industry will continue to experiment with unconventional animal protein sources that can benefit both pets and the planet.