The global food safety testing market size was valued at $13,144 million in 2017, and is estimated to reach $23,204 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 7.3 percent from 2018 to 2025. The current landscape holds much more opportunities than what it was during the initial days. Increasing demand among consumers for fresh and appropriate forms of food products has led to the advent of food safety practices in the food industry. Set up in 2006, Doctors' Analytical Labs is an Independent Analytical Testing Laboratory providing a complete range of routine and advanced analytical testing services to key industries like Food & Agri, Water and Pharmaceuticals. "In the early days, the global regulations for food safety were getting stringent; that is when we sensed an opportunity to invest in the future of this business. One investment led to another and today we operate 2 separate divisions i.e. Food and Pharmaceutical in Mumbai, each having its own dedicated resources for its operations," speaks Ashay Mehta, Director, Doctors' Analytical Labs. Committed to stringent quality measures and applicable standards, Doctor's Analytical Laboratories Unit 1 is NABL Accredited in accordance to ISO 17025, FSSAI (Empanelled) & Unit 2 is Maharashtra FDA approved & US FDA registered and inspected.

With a vision to provide food safety and testing services for the Indian exporters and manufacturers, Doctors' Analytical Labs provides services such as Routine Quality Testing which includes Physical, Chemical and Microbiological analyses; Nutritional Labeling; Fatty Acid Profiles ­ Trans fat,

Saturated fat, PUFA, MUFA; Additives & Adulteration Testing; Water and Effluent Analysis; Shelf-life studies (Ambient and Accelerated conditions) for Frozen foods, Dry and Intermediate Moisture Foods, Canned Foods; Microbial Challenge Tests/Preservative Efficacy Testing; Antibiotic Testing; Contaminants ­ NOTs, Melamine, Cyanuric Acid, and more; Micronutrients including vitamins and minerals; Residual hazardous chemicals like Pesticide Residues, Aflatoxins, Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals, Allergens, Food Safety Auditing which will help the manufacturer with his compliance and their claims for the product.

"With the number of start ups and constant updating regulation there is always confusion due to absence of regulatory support, be it registration with FSSAI, to choosing the correct parameters as per the latest guidelines issued by FSSAI, USDA or other Importing country specifications. Recently one of our clients was facing a challenge with Salmonella in his product with USDA, we validated a method in line with the testing lab used in USA and ensured that his shipments got early alerts through our testing and his decisions to export the consignment or hold them proved fruitful to him," shares Ashay."

Doctors' Analytical Labs has its processes and services maintained to the internationally accepted ISO 17025 : 2005 which enables it to maintain quality, testing and control

Doctors' Analytical Labs introduces new services every year, be it by developing new methods or adding a new technology or getting a new approval. Recently, DALPL got approved by Products Conformity Assessment Section (PCAS) of Dubai Central Laboratory Department (DCLD) in Dubai Municipality as an authorized conformity assessment body for Dubai Certification Fast Track System to certify Food and Beverage products from India. DALPL has also added allergen testing services this year to its test menu where it collaborates with its customers for their new requirements from time to time and develop them in house.

"We deploy hyphenated techniques such as LCMSMS, GCMSMS, HPLC's with various detectors, GC FID-Headspace, ICP oes some of these instruments are in multiple numbers to have reduced downtime, in the future we see ourselves investing in HR MS a high end equipment used to measure dioxins in baby foods and other applications and RT-PCR for GMO testing," mentions Ashay. DALPL will continue to invest in new technologies as per the requirement of the regulation from time to time to build a strong centre of excellence and also continue to improve their sample logistics' presence across India after which the firm shall aim to start satellite labs with specific services to address the market requirements and get closer to our customers.