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 What are the Advantages of Electrical Testing?

As a business owner, you invest a great deal of time and energy in your company's products, services, infrastructure, and real estate. With all of this personal and financial commitment, the last thing you want to happen is for any of your commercial assets to be destroyed by an unforeseen electrical fire. That is why testing and inspecting your commercial property for electrical faults is one of the most critical activities you can take to safeguard your interests.

Apart from ensuring that all outlets and lighting fixtures are functional and efficient, an experienced electrical inspection will ensure that all electric equipment and systems are properly installed and functioning. The building's wiring is often inspected for signs of weather damage or pest infestation (like rodents, who might chew on the wires). Similarly, careful testing of electrical equipment ensures that all critical business equipment operates properly and does not short circuit or put the system under unnecessary pressure.

Electrical testing and inspection are not always one-step processes. To ensure the continued safety and functionality of your commercial property's electrical systems, it's critical to have inspections and testing performed on a fairly regular basis. Electrical testing is recommended about every five years for commercial properties (you may choose a shorter, more frequent interval depending upon the type of appliances in your building and the complexity of the electrical systems at work).

While it may be tempting to save money and time by avoiding frequent electrical testing and inspection, the risk of fire damage to your building, equipment, and—most importantly—your staff is much too great. Not only may the injury or death of an employee, client, or patron result in major legal difficulties for your organisation, but it can also leave you grappling with grief and shame. Cover all of your bases and ensure the safety of your staff, customers, and property. Rest assured that your efforts will pay off in terms of tranquillity.

Highly Reputable Electrical Testing Services at Sigma Labs

Sigma Labs has built an exceptional reputation in the testing and inspection services. The Electrical Testing Lab at Sigma provides services to a variety of industries, including railroad, aviation, automotive, power generation, power transmission, lighting, solar, metal, and polymer, and conducts evaluations in accordance with a variety of industry standards.

TYPES OF ELECTRICAL TESTING SERVICES :

1. Battery Testing
2. Electrical
3. Environmental
4. Conductivity ASTM B193
5. Electrical Transmission
6. Environmental Influence
7. Material Conductivity

Advantages of Electrical Testing Services at Sigma

We can increase the productivity and profitability of our customers by decreasing or eliminating the following:

Business Interruptions: The reality is that power surges, spikes, transients, and insufficient or no preventive maintenance regularly cause damage to your electrical system. These occurrences deteriorate components and finally result in their premature failure. The more energy your facility consumes, the higher the likelihood of a failure. Electrical breakdowns are unavoidable in the absence of preventative maintenance.

DON'T TAKE A CHANCE! Allow us to assist you!

Utility Costs: Without preventive maintenance, the Electrical Distribution System can waste a lot of money in annual electric utility costs! We can assist you in identifying and eliminating these unnecessary costs!

Surge Suppression: Approximately 80% of all transients are generated internally by elevators, motors, heating and air conditioning equipment, and manufacturing equipment starting and stopping. Electrical transients, which are brief bursts of current and/or voltage in a circuit, degrade equipment and are frequently misinterpreted as manufacturer quality or equipment age. We can assist you in developing a surge suppression plan to guarantee that your assets are protected to the fullest extent possible.

Power Quality Analysis: Poor power quality results in data loss and computer equipment malfunction. We can identify and help you eliminate these problems.

Insurance/Certification: Electrical failure costs insurance companies millions of rupees each year. When insurance firms fail, their clients suffer as well. Insurance companies are increasingly urging their consumers to engage in electrical preventive maintenance. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

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Why is Water Quality Testing Important for our Health Safety?

Do you know that the water we use for various purposes, whether home, agricultural, or commercial, or the glass of water you may be sipping while reading these lines, maybe of poor quality?

According to the 2019 World Bank Report, the worsening quality of water around the world is reducing the economic potential of extremely contaminated places. It also cautions that an invisible water quality problem is endangering human and environmental well-being.

"Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium," stated Albert Szent Gyorgyi, a Hungarian biochemist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in Physiology or Medicine. "Without water, there is no life." Water is essential for all activities. However, it is concerning that the quality of water is declining due to a variety of circumstances.

Other simmering factors such as weather and meteorology floods caused by climate change can increase water pollution as pollution from farms, residential lawns, overfilled sewage systems, trash, animal waste, nitrogen phosphorous mixes in waterways, increasing the risk of contamination and increasing the cost of water treatment. Climate change is thought to be having a negative impact on water quality.

Chemical Water Quality Testing Indicator

Several parameters contribute to the determination of water quality testing.

1. Ion chloride:

In natural water systems, the concentration of chloride ions is quite low. It becomes more prevalent in contaminated water. Furthermore, a high concentration of chloride ions makes the water salty and corrodes water pipelines.

1. Ammonia:

The breakdown of organic materials, such as protein and amino acids, raises the concentration of ammonia in water. Furthermore, it rises with the use of chloramine in the water treatment process. NH3 concentrations in groundwater systems are typically 3mg/ltr. It has a distinct flavor and odor when its concentration exceeds 50mg/ltr.

1. Nitrite:

It is a highly unstable intermediate produced during the conversion of NH2 to nitrate. Nitrite is oxidized to nitrate in aerobic conditions but reduced to ammonia in anaerobic conditions. If the percentage of nitrate in drinking water is high, it poses a major health risk to consumers. The blue baby syndrome is a disease that is caused by a high concentration of nitrite in neonates and is characterized by blue skin coloring.

Nitrite levels in drinking water should not exceed 3mg/ltr.

1. Nitrate:

It is the most stable form of oxidized nitrogen. Nitrate is formed in water as a result of organic matter decomposition and atmospheric nitrogen fixation. Similarly to nitrite Nitrate levels in drinking water should not exceed 3mg/ltr. It is because nitrate can be converted to nitrite in newborns' guts, resulting in nitrate poisoning. Nitrate is particularly essential in natural water systems such as lakes and ponds because high nitrate concentrations promote the rapid development of aquatic plants, resulting in eutrophication.

1. Phosphate:

Phosphate is found in water in the forms of H2PO4-, polyphosphate, and organic phosphate. Phosphate in water sources is derived from agricultural wastes, sewage, and industrial effluent. Phosphate is not hazardous to humans, but it is an important chemical in natural water systems such as ponds because high concentrations promote eutrophication.

1. Hardness:

Water hardness is caused only by calcium and magnesium salts. Temporary hardness is caused by calcium and magnesium carbonate and bicarbonate, whereas permanent hardness is caused by calcium and magnesium chloride and sulfate. Water is classed as 9on the basis of calcium carbonate content.

1. BOD (Biological oxygen demand):

Under aerobic conditions, biological oxygen demand represents the amount of oxygen required by living organisms (microorganisms) for the oxidation of biodegradable organic matter present in water.

BOD is a direct measurement of the quality of oxygen required for organic matter biodegradation and an indirect indicator of the quantity of biodegradable organic matter in water.

When water is infused with biodegradable organic materials. To oxidize organic materials, microorganisms use dissolved oxygen. If the rate of oxygen consumption during biodegradation exceeds the rate of solubilization of atmospheric oxygen into water, the level of dissolved oxygen gradually declines.

When the organic matter content is exceedingly high, there is a full loss of dissolved oxygen. This results in an anaerobic condition in the water. Aerobic aquatic organisms cannot thrive under this situation.

Furthermore, if dissolved oxygen is not present, organic matter begins to break down anaerobically, causing a taste and odor problem.

A high BOD score indicates water contamination.

What are the various forms of water quality testing?

There are a variety of water quality tests that water test labs do to assist assess how safe, or even drinkable, water is to be utilized in a residential environment or otherwise.

These several sorts of testing assist evaluate whether specific chemicals or contaminants have infected a body of water and how it should be treated further. Here are some examples of water testing methods.

Bacteria Examinations

Water can be contaminated by a variety of bacterial pollutants. One of the most common and sought-after bacteria is E. coli, which is caused by fecal matter exposure and can cause major health problems if swallowed. Bacteria testing is critical in establishing whether or not water is safe to drink or apply to your skin.

Mineral Examinations

Given how many mineral tests are available, the list may be a thesis paper. Mineral tests that are commonly used and crucial include chlorine and chloride, nitrate and nitrite, lead, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, and sodium.

This broad variety of mineral testing is important and useful in assessing water quality since certain regions or parts of terrain may have more of a buildup of particular sorts of minerals, which informs what kind of mineral treatments the water truly requires to be cleansed.

pH Evaluation

What exactly is pH? Here's a quick refresher on middle school science class if it feels like an age and a day ago. The concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution is measured by pH.

The higher the concentration of these hydrogen ions in a solution, the more acidic the water. Acidity has an impact on the flavor of water, but it can also have an impact on how healthy water is to ingest. Drinking water with acidity that is not balanced enough can make people sick!

Other Testing Methods

Conductivity, odor, sediment, and turbidity are some basic water tests that have nothing to do with chemical testing. These tests, which are not applicable in all cases, produce a measure of the more physical characteristics of a water sample.

Is it clean or hazy from sand and silt? Is it marshy or fresh-smelling? How well does it conduct electricity, and what does this tell us about the mineral content?

Our water testing services can assist a household, business, contractor, or research organization in understanding the water quality with which they are dealing. Get in touch with Sigma Labs today to get started!

Which of the following is the most critical water quality test?

The quality of drinking water reflects the suitability of the water for human use. Water quality is determined by the composition of the water, which is altered by natural processes and human activity.

Water quality is defined by water parameters (physical, chemical, and microbiological), and values that exceed permitted limits endanger human health [1–3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) establish exposure criteria or safe limits for chemical pollutants in drinking water.

A prevalent misconception about water is that clean water is of high quality, showing a knowledge gap regarding the existence of certain compounds in water. One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of good-quality water. This is a challenge for policymakers and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practitioners, especially in light of changing climatic conditions, increasing populations, poverty, and the negative effects of human development.

Water quality examinations will reveal information regarding the waterway's condition. The variations in the quality of the water can be seen by testing it over time. Temperature, pH, turbidity, salinity, nitrates, and phosphates are some of the parameters that can be measured.

Even if the water is clear, it does not necessarily guarantee that it is safe to drink. It is critical that we assess the safety of water by considering the three features listed below (as well as diseases and contaminants):

• Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and worms are examples of microbiological organisms.
• Minerals, metals, and chemicals are examples of chemicals.
•     Temperature, color, odor, taste, and turbidity are examples of physical characteristics.

Water that is safe to drink should contain the following microbiological, chemical, and physical characteristics:

• pathogenic-free
• Toxic chemical concentrations are low.
• Clear
• Colorless and tasteless (for aesthetic purposes)

When it comes to drinking water quality, most people are concerned about microbiological contamination because it is responsible for the majority of illnesses and deaths caused by ingesting contaminated water.

For information on water testing, please get in touch with our fellow representatives at Sigma labs!

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Nutraceutical Testing Laboratory in India

Natural nutraceutical testing ingredients can be found in a wide range of products that we use on a daily basis, including dietary supplements, cosmetics, some over-the-counter health products, and functional foods. Dietary supplements, cosmetics, some over-the-counter health products, and functional foods are just a few examples (foods that carry some health benefits beyond good nutrition).

Nutraceutical testing ingredients are analyzed to guarantee that excellent goods are produced in accordance with regulatory requirements and compliance, as well as customer safety. Nutraceutical testing is the term used to describe this type of examination of nutraceutical substances. Consider the following facts in order to have a better understanding of nutraceutical testing.

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATIONS OF NUTRACEUTICAL TESTING?

It is standard practice to conduct nutraceutical testing on the following products:

1. Supplements derived from plants (teas, vitamins, powders, and tinctures)
2. Foods that have a functional purpose (examples include oatmeal, fortified orange juice, fruits, vegetables, nuts, omega three enriched eggs)
3. Caffeine-based beverages (nutritional supplements, health food drinks)
4. Products in their natural state (textiles, cloth, silk, wool, glass, and plastics)
5. Products that are nutritional in nature (supplements and diet aids)
6. Juices from fruits and vegetables (raw or organic drinks)
7. Products and drinks that help athletes perform better in sports (geared toward health-conscious athletes)
8. Medications such as Viagra and other similar medications (health-enhancing drugs)

Generally speaking, Indian Nutraceuticals may be divided into three primary categories: functional foods, dietary supplements, and herbal/natural goods. Nutraceuticals dominate the Indian nutraceuticals industry, accounting for more than 64 percent of total market revenue.

Nutraceuticals are classified as foods under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR) Act, 2006, Rules and Regulations, 2011. In recent years, nutraceuticals have attracted a great deal of attention because of their potential nutritional, safety, and therapeutic impacts.

Recent research has demonstrated that these chemicals are effective in treating a variety of problems. India’s fast-growing food categories include foods and food supplements that claim to provide health advantages.

In different countries, the word is defined differently, although it is typically characterized as a substance that has been extracted from foods and is normally offered in medical forms that are not typically connected with food.

As a substance that offers physiological benefits or provides protection against chronic illnesses, a nutraceutical product can be characterized as follows: It is possible that nutraceuticals will help you live longer by improving your health, delaying the aging process, preventing chronic diseases, increasing your life expectancy, or supporting the structure or function of your body.

Nutraceuticals Testing, in contrast to medicines, are compounds that, in most cases, are not protected by patents or other intellectual property rights. The use of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical chemicals to treat or prevent disease is permissible; however, only pharmaceutical compounds are approved by the federal government.

In the field of nutraceutical proteins, nutritious proteins such as lactose-free milk and protein concentrate are used in baby food compositions.

Ginseng, Echinacea, green tea, glucosamine, omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, folic acid, and cod liver oil are some of the more popular nutraceuticals. The vast majority of nutraceuticals are endowed with a variety of therapeutic qualities.

Microorganisms that are beneficial to the body

Known as probiotics, these live bacteria are useful to the human body because they modulate mucosal and systemic immunity, as well as promote nutritional and microbial balance in the body.

The majority of probiotic medicines now available on the market are made from bacteria that belong to a big group of bacteria known as lactic acid bacteria (e.g. lactobacilli, streptococci, bifidobacterial)

Yeasts, other bacteria, and viruses that might otherwise cause disease are driven out of the human gastrointestinal tract by these microorganisms, which in turn create a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with the human digestive tract.

This is accomplished by modifying the intestinal microflora, preventing pathogen adhesion to the intestinal epithelium, competing for nutrients required for pathogen survival, producing an antitoxin effect, and reversing some of the consequences of infection on the intestinal epithelium, such as secretory changes and neutrophil migration, among other mechanisms.

In recent years, nutraceuticals have attracted a great deal of attention because of their potential nutritional, safety, and therapeutic impacts.

Active Ingredients in Nutraceuticals: There are several nutraceuticals available on the market that are designed to provide a variety of health advantages.

The therapeutic benefits of these nutraceuticals are attributed to their many active components, which include curcumin from turmeric, gingerols from ginger, anthocyanins from fruits, and a variety of other active components derived from a variety of sources. Garlic oil, curcumin, vanilla, and/or essential oils are among the most popular products targeted by commercially driven adulteration.

Identification, purity, and microbiological testing are the three most important aspects of basic quality testing for nutraceuticals. In addition to this, there are tests for contaminants such as pesticides, residuals, and heavy metals, among other things.

Nutraceuticals and food components derived from herbal items may be contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals and metalloids, mycotoxins, radiation, and other contaminants, and they may also be adulterated with pharmaceuticals or other substances.

Product validation for consumer usage is critical for establishing the efficacy of dietary supplements and is particularly crucial when validating a product for use in the pharmaceutical industry.

A critical component of fit-for-purpose testing is ensuring that the parameter being assessed is relevant and accurate, as well as being able to withstand regulatory scrutiny and be consistent with quality analytical processes and procedures.

Get in touch with Sigma Labs if you need nutraceuticals testing services!

How Swab Testing of Kitchen Surfaces (Restaurants/Food Processing Units) can Prevent Food Failures?

The swab test is the cheapest, easiest and fastest way to quickly measure hygiene and the most accurate surface hygiene test possible.

Swabbing warns food companies and food regulators of the safe nature of the food processing sector.

The microbiological examination of food surfaces, appliances, and utensils by using different swab techniques includes the microbiological monitoring of the presence of pathogens.

Its application is –

To check if cleaning and sanitation programs of a food company are appropriate with the 'search and destruction' Mission,

While a food company is concerned with the presence of a pathogen for foodborne diseases in the food processing sector.

Swabbing can provide food business managers and food regulators with valuable knowledge. Food swabbing is also used in foodborne disease inspection, cleaning, and sanitation verification.

Many swabbing techniques exist. The method's preference is also dictated by the familiarity of the operator, access to the nearby laboratory supplies, and limitations.

All methods are not acceptable in all cases, however, so an optimal approach has to be used.

Features and Benefits of Swab Testing -

Product Specialty Benefits

Moisturizer Swab Neutralizes Sanitizers and detergents
 

The weathering agent neutralizes the after-cleaning effect of residual sanitizers and detergents on the surfaces, while maintaining sample integrity if those residues are present

Specific "breakpoint" for swab sticks

There is a particular breakpoint in the shaft of the swabs used to facilitate the passage of samples through the pathogens.

Moisturizer Swab Neutralizes Sanitizers and detergents

Pre-moistened Swabs

Range of Different Growth Media

High sensitivity and particularity

The weathering agent neutralizes the after-cleaning effect of residual sanitizers and detergents on the surfaces, while maintaining sample integrity if those residues are present. surfaces, while maintaining sample integrity if those residues are present.
 Complies with the ISO 18593:2004 regulations.

This enhances species' regeneration from both wet and dry surfaces, enhancing test sensitivity.

 A variety of personal media for growth.

There is currently three separate pathogen detection bread available:

Coli forms, which are usually used as a hygiene indicator. 

The important source of nutrient toxicity is Salmonella. 

Listeria – a food borne body that causes a number of diseases with high mortality rates.

 Sensitivity – detected in 10cm2 of the measured surface <1 organism.

 Specificity – high specification standards

The Swab Tests are intended to protect consumers by preventing contamination of dangerous bacteria and eventually, the food we eat. The test requires the owners of a plant to take precautions to avoid pollution, including environmental pathogens, and to verify that risks are monitored. Environmental screening and product inspection are examples of measures to verify microbial hazard regulation.

The following material outlines some of the main advantages of Swab Testing to prevent food failure

• The implementation of sound manufacturing standards to ensure adequate staffing practices, sanitary construction, and sanitary activities of establishment and machinery.
• Assess if preventive controls for threats, including environmental pathogens, are required and establish and enforce techniques to manage these pathogens.
• The controls are monitored and verified, including, where applicable, the checking and verification of controls, timely corrective actions in situations of issues, and the reports of the monitoring and verifying activities needed for the inspection and verification.
• The main goals are to identify the pathogens through the sanitation surveillance systems as they exist. This way, we can focus more on when, where, and how the diseases have arisen.

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Export of Herbs to the European Market

The EU has an enormous business potential in India and in other countries around the world to sell spices and herbs. India reportedly owns 48% of the World Spice Exchange, which cannot be viewed as a positive position.  Moreover, it’s just 44% of the worth aspect, on the other hand. In the next 10 years, it is expected to rise to the refined center of spices as an emerging market. India exports nearly 180 spice verities to more than 150 countries worldwide.

Of 109 spices in the world according to ISO, India produces nearly 75 distinct spices. Spices are grown in 2.9 million hectares in India. In India, a vast number of people live on this spice cultivation, and due to our country's climate; a lot of cultivation has become possible. Pepper, cardamom, coriander, ginger, and turmeric are the major grown and exported spices. Peppers have the main priority because of their large demand among these spices in the EU.

Demand for Spices and Herbs in Europe

In the 2014–2017 periods, the European imports of spices and herbs have witnessed constant growth. However, developing countries like India make up a large part of the imports. Especially good prospects are offered to leading importers Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain. Ginger, unpressed pepper, dried capsicum, Curcuma, cinnamon, and cloves have a great promise from the product perspective. Expectedly, these spices lead to a healthier lifestyle and thus these imports will continue to expand in the years ahead.

Which markets in Europe offer spices and herbs the most opportunities?

Well, so far, Germany is the main importer of spices and herbs in Europe. In 2018, the import volume of Germany amounted to € 515 million, or 20% of EU imports in general. Nearly 80% of these German imports were from developed countries, while imports from Europe hit nearly 20%.

Moving forward, in four years, France has developed into one of the main importers of spices in Europe, replacing the Netherlands, from developing countries. The annual average increase in French imports was over 25%. This growth was primarily triggered by the rise in Madagascar vanilla imports. France and Germany have dominated EU vanilla imports, and since 2011 a heavy rise in demand has led to a dramatic increase in the price of vanilla since 2012.

The Netherlands has traditionally been the world's top trader in spices. If the additional estimates had not included vanilla, the Netherlands would be after Germany making it the second-largest importer in Europe.

UK imports count for #4 for spices and herbs, but the UK imports are mostly intended for local markets, unlike Germany, the Netherlands, and France, and re-exports are minimal. Then comes Spain which is at position #5 for the top 5 EU spices and herbs importers. Spain is different from the top 4 since the imports from Europe are very poor.

In the comparatively big import markets of Germany, France, the Netherlands, the UK and Spain, as an Indian Exporter, you are still welcome to keep your choice. These markets are particularly attractive because of the mix of market size and high success record of developed countries.

Not only that, the Brexit (the UK quitting the European Union) has reduced the British Pound value. As a result, industry analysts say that, rather than purchasing from European importers, more British shoppers are starting to purchase directly from developed countries. However, because the situation is still smooth and uncertain, you should track developments closely.

What spices and herbs have the most demand on the European spice and herb market?

The most popular spices are ginger, uncrushed garlic, dried capsicum/pimento, and Curcuma. This is focused on the expectation that these products' good success since 2014 will continue in the years ahead. This is at least a rational inference since these spices are believed to aid in the maintenance of a balanced lifestyle.

The same can be said for spices like cinnamon and cloves, which are traded in smaller quantities but still, have promise.

Below is a more detailed breakdown of European imports by commodity, broken down into three categories:

1.      Big trade volumes of over 10,000 tones;

2.      medium-sized trade volumes of 1,000 to 10,000 tones;

3.      and limited trade volumes of less than 1,000 tones.

What conditions do spices and herbs meet in order to be sold in Europe?

All herbs and spices exported to Europe must be deemed healthy to eat. Additives must be licensed, hazardous chemicals are forbidden, and food packaging information is strictly controlled. Importers' private demands have been almost as relevant as required specifications.  Complying with food protection, efficiency, and environmental requirements are among them. Exporters must keep a close eye on the competition because requirements change constantly. Nearly 80 different pesticide residues, for example, saw their rules updated in 2019.

The European Food Protection Authority (EFSA) is in charge of implementing national food safety regulations and providing a system for official food controls.

The ‘Farm to Fork' method is the cornerstone of this rule. This means that all food, including exporters from developed nations, must be traceable across the entire supply chain. To do so, all food-service operators must integrate the Threat Analysis of Essential Control Points (HACCP) framework into their everyday operations.

Nonetheless, only a limited portion of the goods manufactured and sold in Europe are subject to official (physical) restrictions, since industrial operators, such as importers, bear primary responsibility for their protection. Importers will also perform the bulk of the requisite tests to ensure that the commodity is safe like demanding certificates of quality and sanity.

On the European Commission's website, keep up to date with updates on controls by visiting the Official Controls Regulation.

In addition, the European Union has placed in place rigorous and systematic steps to eliminate toxins in food. The European Commission Legislation defines limit thresholds for particular pollutants in food. This legislation is regularly revised, and in addition to the general food limits, there are also limits on a number of particular items.

Microbiological pollutants, mycotoxins, and pesticide residues are the most important requirements for contaminants in spices and herbs.

In shipments of spices and herbs to the European market, there is no official cap for international bodies. Most European buyers create their own specifications or adhere to the American Spice Trade Association's cleanliness guidelines (ASTA). The maximum prevalence of dead organisms, excreta, molds, and other foreign matter is described by ASTA's cleanliness specification.

Indian Exporters should use preventative steps such as heat control or fumigation to avoid pest pollution. Can use fumigants that have been licensed by the government. In the European Union, fumigants such as methyl bromide and ethylene oxide are prohibited. To stop contamination of foreign bodies, optical, ceramic, and related detectors should be used. Also, if detectors are mounted, manual sorting and eye-hand monitoring are still recommended.

Taking steps to reduce the risk of microbiological contaminants

Salmonella is the most common microbiological contaminant present in spices and herbs.

Salmonella is often spread to spices and herbs by the use of contaminated water, untreated manure as fertilizer, and/or harvesting with dirty hands. In addition, in areas where the drying process is carried out in the open air, animals or birds can become infected with salmonella (often directly on the ground).

For such items, the European regulation on microbiological standards for foods sets limits for pathogenic microorganisms, their poisons, and metabolites, but does not set limits for spices.

To ensure food protection in terms of pathogen microorganisms, exporters should engage in heat sterilization, such as with saturated steam at 121°C. Heat sterilization is favored by European buyers because it is safe, solvent- and radiation-free. You should use the services of a third party in Europe to do the important heat treatment according to your customer's specifications because heat treatment equipment is a capital investment.

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How sigma test is helping meet the Solar power target of India

Checking the soil's thermal resistivity tests the soil's ability to conduct or discharge heat. For designing and installing underground pipelines and transmission cables, the correct understanding of the thermal properties of soil or layer of rendered ground is necessary to prevent premature failures. The current provided by a subterranean power cable can dissipate the heat properly.

And that is why Sigma is all ready to help provide its clients with Solar Thermal Resistivity Test to meet the Solar Power Target of India.

What does Sigma do –

1. Assists in the planning and construction of underwater pipelines.
2. Prevents the build-up of heat across power transmission cables.
3. Measures the heat dissipation properties of the earth in preparation for pipeline construction.
4. Calculates the best cable requirements for the ground conditions in the region.
5. Determines when in-situ ground must be replaced with thermal back-fill cable bedding.

It is in the area of Thermal Resistivity Monitoring where we excel, assisting clients in saving time and resources by specialized on-site and laboratory research.

Thermal resistance testing may be done on natural soils or specially built quarried materials. It determines the thermal properties of a material and how well it conducts/resists heat.

When testing natural soils, samples are obtained from various sites and dried and analyzed to determine the thermal resistivity versus moisture content relationship. If the native soil surrounding a cable partly dries out under cable working temperatures, this dried-out curve comes in handy.

Based on the type of the substance and the quality specifications, a range of approaches may be used to measure quarry materials for thermal suitability as cable backfill or bedding.

Operation of the Survey

Before the installation of a cable, soil thermal resistivity testing is usually performed. Testing should ideally take place at the installation's proposed cover depth. For many years, the thermal resistivity of porous materials has been measured using transient line heat source methods. Typically, a portable unit is used and consists of a needle with a heater and temperature sensor inside that meets IEEE 442 and ASTM 5334 requirements. A current is transmitted through the heater after the probe is placed into the ground to a given depth.

To generate power, the solar farm's network of electrical cables and conduit generates a tremendous amount of heat.

This heat must be able to dissipate safely in the materials covering the cables, so the material properties surrounding the conduit must be correct.

Sigma’sgeotechnical team takes soil gathered on-site and replicates field conditions in the lab, compacting the soil sample to the same conditions as building soil. This procedure aids in the selection of the proper conduit/cabling device and guarantees that engineers can build the design to the material's optimum degree of compaction.

Furthermore, Sigma uses a variety of compaction ratios to get to a point where they feel the cabling device can fulfill the designer's target specifications.

Sigma thrives on the motto and is known for ‘going the extra mile,' constantly searching for innovation and opportunities to improve research and help clients save money during renovation.

Reusing natural material in the earth during cabling construction is the most cost-effective - and also the most environmentally sustainable - choice. Sigma uses their experience and scientific skills to identify the most suitable materials, assisting clients in maximizing productivity and effectiveness.

Sigma has a broad range of thermal conductivity monitoring services for a variety of sample sizes and temperatures. The cost of conducting thermal conductivity is determined by a variety of factors.

• Material that has undergone testing.
• Tests are on-site and off-site.
• The temperature at which the experiments must be performed.

If you are interested or have further questions, or want to know more about this, please free to connect with us!

Contact us for male and female condom testing.

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What Are Mineral Oil Hydrocarbons?

Hydrocarbons of mineral oil (MOHs) are complex chemical blends. MOHs usually come from crude petroleum. They are primarily made up of hydrocarbons saturated with mineral oil (MOSH) and aromatic mineral oils (MOAH). MOSH consists of open, often rammed hydrocarbons and cyclic, saturated hydrocarbons (usually referred to as paraffin) (commonly named naphthene's). MOAH comprises aromatic monocarbons or polycyclic hydrocarbons. In general, Naphthene and MOAH are rather alkylated. The MOAH content can reach up to 35 per cent depending on crude oil source and refining.

How does MOAH/MOSH enter Food Products?

What are the known contaminant sources?

Mineral oils have a wide range of input pathways that span all stages of food production (raw materials, storage and transportation, production, and packaging materials). Adhesives, printer inks, and packaging materials - especially those made of recycled materials - are the main sources of MOSH/MOAH contamination. Machine and hydraulic oils used in the production and packaging of food are also sources.

Contamination may also be caused by the use of corrugated cardboard-lined transport containers or jute or sisal bags impregnated with oil containing mineral oil (batching oil). MOAH contamination in food comes from a variety of places: MOHs are used as additives in a variety of food contact materials (FCMs), such as plastics, adhesives, rubber utensils, jute and sisal fibres, wax paper and board, and printing inks.

MOHs, e.g., lubricants and defoam, cleaning agents, and non-stick agents, are applied in the processing of food and/or FCMs. MOHs in food can also be found in the environment and in packaging that has been contaminated unintentionally. MOHs, which are primarily derived from mineral-oil-based, non-food grade newspaper inks, are found in high concentrations in food packaging made of recycled paper and board.

The frequent detection of high MOH levels in packaging materials made of recycled paper and board initiates a discussion on how to reduce these contaminations. Recycled paper and board are generally not made of FCM-grade materials. Newspapers, journals and other kinds of paper that are recycled contain e.g., mineral-oil-based printing inks, adhesives, coatings, additives, and contaminants from previous uses. The replacement of mineral-oil-based printing inks would be the first step to reduce the load of MOHs in recycled paper and board in a long-term view. Internal bags or barrier layers are already broadly applied to reduce migration of MOHs from recycled paper and board into the food.

What Foods are affected?

Dry foods with broad surface areas, such as flour, grit, rice, coffee, cocoa, milk powder, spices, bread crumbs, and breakfast cereals, are among the foods affected, according to current information. Because of their lipophilic properties, oils and fats like palm oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, and cocoa butter, as well as coconut milk, chocolate, fatty candy, butter, and vegetable fats, are prone to contamination with MOSH/MOAH.

What are the health hazards associated with MOSH/MOAH?

Some MOSH fraction short-chain saturated hydrocarbons have been found to accumulate in various body organs. Animal studies have shown that the liver and lymph nodes are damaged. A variety of alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons in the MOAH fraction are carcinogenic, including some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, for example (PAHs). It's difficult to make a definitive toxicological evaluation of MOSH and MOAH due to the complexities of carbon blends and a lack of scientific evidence.

How is MOAH/MOSH analysed?

The substance to be examined (food or packaging) is crushed and homogenised, and the components to be examined are removed, both using cutting-edge technology. This can be accompanied by a purification process (e.g., with activated aluminium oxide, epoxidation) depending on the sample matrix. Chromatographic solid-phase extraction is used to isolate the MOSH and MOAH fractions. GC-FID (gas chromatography-flame ionisation detection) with large volume on-column injection is used for quantitative research. Owing to a large number of chemical compounds in both fractions, GC-FID cannot be used to analyse individual components.

To characterise substance groups and to prevent oil contamination - this method can differentiate MOSH from POSH, capture fingerprints of traditional mineral oils, and classify natural hydrocarbons of biogenic origin, such as terpenes.

Which Analytic Method do we use?

The method of analysis has been approved.

The analysis is carried out using an automated, online coupled liquid chromatography gas chromatography (LC-GC) and linked flame ionisation detection system after sample preparation (FID). By purifying the extracts and fractionating them into the MOSH or MOAH fractions, the LC serves as a preparative stage. Not only that, Lab go has been offering a modified CEN (DIN EN 16995) approach as an extension to the MOSH and MOAH research in vegetable fats, oils, and fatty foods since its establishment.

If you are interested or have further questions, or want to know more about this, please free to connect with us!

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What is the testing purpose of male and female condoms?

Condoms are the second best thing to happen to humans after sex. Without a doubt, it is one of the most brilliant human inventions. It not only helps you prevent accidental pregnancies, but it also prevents you from STI. Male condoms have been on the market for far longer than female condoms, so, understandably, male condoms are more commonly used, but it is reassuring to know that there is another choice that allows women to be in charge. Women with these needs will protect themselves from disease and motherhood without depending on the guy to use a condom.

Female Condom Material -

The FC2 internal condom, also known as the female condom, consists of a smooth, thin (nitrile) substance-free of latex, so no allergic reaction is possible. It is inserted within the body to create a removable pocket that restricts the exchange of body fluids between sex partners and direct contact with your skin. In comparison to masculine condoms, the FC2 is pre-lubed on both ends, making both partners most enjoyable.

Male Condom Material -

The male condom, like the FC2, comes in a plastic box with a sheath, but it doesn't have the internal soft ring that the FC2 does for penetration and to keep it in place within the vaginal canal. Male condoms can be made of a variety of materials, including latex, making them vulnerable to environmental conditions when being stored. (Unlike the FC2 which is unaffected by temperature or humidity making it a safer bet to have on hand.)

Female Condom Usage -

Unlike male condoms, the FC2 gives women power over their contraception. No one else wants to be interested in your decision to use the female condom because you don't need an erection to use it. It can be inserted up to 8 hours ahead of time, which means you won't have to deal with any uncomfortable interruptions when it's time to do the deed (especially convenient if you have your period). All of this adds up to a sex experience that is both pleasurable and distraction-free!

Male Condom Usage -

The male condom is positioned over the erect penis of the man. It's made of latex, polyurethane, or polyisoprene, among other materials. There are advanced lambskin condoms available for those allergic to latex. The male condom holds the title of being the most commonly used contraceptive by couples all over the world. The male condom will protect the user from sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, Chlamydia, and gonorrhoea in addition to preventing pregnancy. This is particularly useful for people who have sexual relations with multiple people.

Female Condom Effectiveness -

When you insert the female condom correctly, it is more effective. Every year, 5 out of every 100 women who use a female condom become pregnant. Female condoms fail in a small number of cases because they are not used correctly. This condom can boost both partners' sex and sexual play. By rubbing the clitoris, the condom's external ring can stimulate it. Women who use a Female Condom are not reliant on their male partners to keep their erection in place.

Male Condom Effectiveness -

A male condom is an excellent tool for preventing pregnancy and STDs. You will never have to regret unnecessary pregnancies if you obey the guidelines and use them correctly. The male condom is lightweight and portable. Some drugs have little effect on them. It offers the best protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. When breastfeeding, a male condom may be used. Condoms for men do not affect this hormone. They are easy to use and can be found in most marketplaces.

Cost-Effectiveness of Male and Female Condom -

When opposed to the costs of HIV therapy, a condom is still a good investment. Even, as compared to other types of birth control. However, in contrast to female condoms, male condoms are more cost-effective.

Male Condom Buying Cost-

Packs of ten latex condoms will set you back Rs. 180. Non-latex will set you back Rs. 100 for a six-pack.

Female Condom Buying Cost-

Packs of 10 female latex condoms will set you back Rs. 180.

Male Condom Compatibility with Lubricants -

When using latex condoms, you can only use water-based lubes. When using condoms made of polyurethane and lamb intestine, you can use both water-based and oil-based lubes.

Female Condom Compatibility with Lubricants –

Both oil and water-based lubricants can be used.

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Influence of Water on Concrete 

How often have you heard the contractors say “how about if we add some more water to the concrete eh?” Well, depending on the conditions that must be followed, adding water to a concrete load may or may not be suitable.

If no concrete has been drained except for slump or slump flow testing, a one-time injection of water may be divided into multiple separate adds of water. However, within 15 minutes of the start of the first water addition, all water additions must be completed.

 Also, one should make sure that water is pumped in a manner under certain pressure and direction of flow that optimal a mixture of the matter is attained. Hence, keeping in mind the goal, that a homogeneous mixture is achieved, the drum should be turned an additional 30 revolutions at mixing level, or more if possible.

The sole The aim of this article is based on strengthening one’s understanding of water-cement proportions and how excess and undesired water additions can influence the concrete's performance attributes.

Water addition conundrum: Is the added amount of water sufficient?

First, we need to understand the essence of right water addition to the concrete.

Water is required for the cement in the concrete to hydrate and form Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (C-S-H), the glue that keeps the concrete together. During the cement reaction, water is chemically bound (consumed) at a rate of around 25 pounds of water per 100 pounds of cement.

As a result, the C-S-H and hydration products need water to cementitious materials ratio (w/cm) of 0.25.

But that is not all which is needed. As soon as the cement hydrates, there is more water that becomes physically attached. However, it takes about 20 pounds of water per 100 pounds of cement to hydrate the cement completely.

Now, this all sums up to 45 pounds of water, and the ratio becomes 0.45. Not only this but other researches have also shown that for total hydration of the cement, a ratio of about 0.4 is needed.

And one should be cognizant of the fact that cement hydration is seldom achieved in concrete, usually due to a lack of physical access to the inner non-hydrated cement particles as well as a lack of the necessary curing time.

In contrast to the above debate of improved w/cm values resulting in optimum cement hydration capacity, a concrete designer must contend with the fact that lower w/cm values also improve strength and other longevity characteristics of their product.

The concrete the designer must not confuse the explanation with the weak crystal formation during the hydration process but shed light on the fact that as the amount of water in the mixture increases so does the amount of dispersion.

As a result, the C-S-H crystals would be less likely to bridge and the resultant concrete formed has a lower density, is weaker, and has a greater permeability rate.

Now, let’s see what are the concrete's parameters that are affected due to injection of excess of water to a concrete load that exceeds the specified w/cm-

·    Comprehensive Strength

Concrete strength testing is inversely proportional to the water-cement ratio. When the water-cement ratio rises, the strength falls, and vice versa.

An inference may be drawn that water/cement would not contribute to the greater strength of concrete when there is a small water-to-cement ratio in a fresh mix than after hardening.

The tensile stresses build due to shrinking and creeping environments. These conditions occur This contributes to the splitting of the concrete or the losses (between the concrete and the aggregates) even if the aggregates attempt to reduce the stresses of tensile.

There are therefore severe issues with hard concrete due to the poor water-to-cement ratio

If one is not using enough water in a fresh blend, so less water is available for hydration and for the cement to keep hardening.

There is not enough water present in the cement that contributes to internal stress and should be bonded properly to the aggregate testing.

·    Permeability

The evaporation of excess water in hardened concrete causes the concrete to become brittle. Water would be absorbed by the voids, making the concrete surface permeable.

·    Dusting and Scaling

At the time of hardening, water enters the concrete mix and gives the aggregate coarse particles that move toward the top as a consequence of the horizontal settling of the fine particles. This method is called simply dusting.

When the concrete starts to harden, it starts to take on a more fluid look. In this scenario, the top panel is detached from the concrete surface to perform this task. When ice is frozen, it will be melted. When it is thawed, it can freeze again.

·     Reduced Durability

The results of all the studies eventually contribute to a decrease in the toughness of concrete. Thus, to create tough concrete, the combination of water and lime must be carefully chosen. A low water-cement ratio allows the cement concrete to be more stable. Through the inclusion of air entrapping the mixture, the longevity of the product may be improved with a low water composition.

·    Loss of Abrasive Resistance with an excess of water

The higher the thickness of concrete, the more there is abrasion tolerance. When the amount of water in the mix is increased, the concrete's strength diminishes and eventually, the concrete's abrasion resistance often diminishes.

There is a great deal of interest taken in the formulation and mixing of concrete mixtures, including consideration for their possible use in changing conditions. It is important to understand that these output characteristics have the potential to become susceptible to a high-water content that is above the designed cap.

As well, the availability of a suitable curing environment would help facilitate optimum characteristics of the concrete.

For more information, please contact our SigmaTest and Research Centre experts for further assistance.

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Why is Battery Testing Important?

The increased use of lithium-ion battery-powered devices has created a demand for high levels of precision and quality to support a wide range of applications. One evaluation test method utilized to address this demand is charge/discharge cycle testing. The goal of the test is to discover how many times a battery can be used by examining it until it deteriorates after repeated charging and discharging cycles.

Under this, the battery is connected to a decade resistor box, the resistance is set to 8 ohms (6.5V and 750mA) to simulate the current draw, and the voltage across the terminal of the battery is measured every 15 minutes with the resistor box connected. The results are collected and a scatter graph can be created to show the relationship of battery discharging. Then high voltage and low voltage disconnected voltages can be determined based on the resulting curve.

Required Equipment           

Equipment  Description

 1 Multimeter

 2 Decade resistor box

Test Procedure

Step 1: Set the decade box as close as possible to 8 ohms

Step 2: Connect the decade resistor box across the battery terminals.

Step 3: Measure the voltages across the terminals of the battery every 15 minutes when the resistor box is connected.  Record the value in MS Excel.

 Step 4: When the battery terminal voltage drops below 5.8V disconnect the decade box and battery.

The conventional procedure is to charge and discharge at the prescribed charge and discharge rates repeatedly.

Temperature cycle testing, in which the test temperature is raised and dropped by placing the sample in a temperature chamber, is also common. Temperature characteristic testing is carried out to assess how much capacity can be input/output under various temperature circumstances. Discharge temperature characteristic tests and charge temperature characteristic tests are available.

Constant-current load characteristic testing is used to determine how much capacity can be input/output at different current rates. There are discharge load characteristic tests (in which the current rate is varied while the sample is discharging) and charge load characteristic tests (in which the current rate is varied while the sample is charging) (in which the current rate is varied when the sample is charging).

An insulation resistance (IR) test measures the total resistance between any two points separated by electrical insulation. The test, therefore, determines how effective the dielectric (insulation) is in resisting the flow of electrical current. Such tests are useful for checking the quality of insulation, not only when a product is first manufactured but also over time as the product is used.

Performing such tests at regular time intervals can detect impending insulation failures before they occur and prevent user accidents or costly product repairs.

This test usually has four phases: charge, dwell, measure, and discharge. During the charge phase, the voltage is ramped from zero to the selected voltage, which provides stabilization time and limits the inrush current to the DUT. Once the voltage reaches the selected value, the voltage can then be allowed to dwell or hold at this voltage before measurements begin.

Once the resistance has been measured for the selected time, the DUT is discharged back to 0V during the final phase. Insulation resistance testers typically have 4 output connections – ground, shield, (+), and (-) – to cover a wide variety of applications. The output voltage is typically in the range of 50 to 1000 Volts DC. In performing the test, the operator first connects the DUT. The instrument measures and displays the measured resistance. When the voltage is applied, some current immediately starts to flow through the insulation. This current flow has three components – a “dielectric absorption” current, a charging current, and a leakage current.

Required Equipment

Equipment Description

 1 Hipot Tester

 2 Electrical Safety Analyzer

External Short Circuit test simulates an external short circuit.

Test procedure-

The cell or battery to be tested shall be temperature stabilized so that its external case temperature reaches 55 ± 2 °C and then the cell or the battery shall be subjected to a short circuit condition with a total external resistance of fewer than 0.1 ohms at 55 ± 2 °C. This short circuit condition is continued for at least one hour after the cell or battery external case the temperature has returned to 55 ± 2 °C. 38.3.4.5.3 Requirement Cells and batteries meet this requirement if their external temperature does not exceed 170 °C and there is no disassembly, no rupture, and no fire during the test and within six hours after the test.

The low air pressure test r is used for testing the safety capability of the battery in the environment of high altitude and low pressure. The test result: the specimen battery is qualified if non-explosion, no fire, non air leak, nonelectrolyte leakage. The low air pressure test chamber is designed for the test standard of UL, EN, and IEC. The tester can come into a low air pressure state in a short time and control the test period automatically, monitor the change of air pressure in the full process, and finish the test automatically.

Features:

1. The low air pressure tester is used for battery testingthe safety capability of lithium batteries.
2. The tester is simulating an environment of high altitude and low air pressure.
3. Test result is non-explosion, no fire, non air leaking, and nonelectrolyte leakage for the qualified Battery.

One final test, called the forced discharge test, determines the safety of a battery under certain abusive conditions. This test is very dangerous because, during the test, the battery is very likely to explode. The test must be done under extremely well-controlled conditions in an explosion-proof safety chamber to prevent personal injury. The Test involves connecting a current source in series with the battery. The polarity is in the same direction as normal or short circuit current flow.

The current source asset to a value such that the resultant current flow is greater than the short circuit current flow. This test simulates what may happen if a battery were improperly installed in a circuit where it may not be the only source in the application. Ideally, the battery should withstand the stress, with some degree of margin, when the test currents are similar to actual conditions.

For more information on battery testing, please contact our SigmaTest and Research Centre experts for further assistance.

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How to Choose an Oil And Petroleum Analysis Laboratory?

Petroleum, which literally means "rock oil" or "oil from earth" forms from the remains of the plants and animals that lived in the marine environment millions of years ago, is preferable during the Pre-Dinosaur age.

Subsequent decomposition of the buried remains of the marine animals by the application of heat and pressure due to the deposition of sand and slit of over them led to the form of the "Crude Oil" or Petroleum. Petroleum is one of the three fossil fuels that occur in our nature.

Moreover, these fossil fuels are comprised of a complex mixture of different types of hydrocarbons along with several elemental impurities such as sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and many others.

However, due to wide variations in the origin of petroleum products, they vary in terms of their physic-chemical properties and appearances, from one oil field to other.

While purchasing anything you need to consider three primary aspects; price, service, and quality. However, considering services from an external oil analysis laboratory is a strategic and significant decision for every company.

Mostly like other business decisions, price is the overall decider for a petroleum analysis laboratory. However, there are certain critical aspects that one needs to consider while choosing a petroleum testing laboratory that comes into play.

These include interpretation skills, turnaround time, tests available, and yes the price at the end. Often, opting for the thriftiest service becomes a regrettable investment. Choosing a commercial oil analysis lab is a big deal and you must not take it for granted.

Instruments Used in Petroleum Testing

Petroleum analysis laboratories use several instruments for assessing the contents and quality of the products. These include flash point testers, distillation equipment, vapor pressure analyzers, oxidation stability analyzers, trace metals analyzers, octane number analyzers, water content, density meters, and viscometers. Besides, the laboratory carries out several hundreds of tests, including ASTM ISO protocols for petroleum testing.

Selecting an Oil Analysis Laboratory

It is best to evaluate the technical and quality issues before choosing a service for petroleum laboratory testing. However, selecting an oil analysis supplier requires a thoughtful exercise in evaluating the quality of the laboratory. We need to consider several factors when selecting the best oil and petroleum analysis laboratory near me. However, if we set the goals and requirements beforehand the number of qualifying labs will get reduced.

Selection of vendors often devolves price-clubbing activity that has never been a win-win situation because all of the potential vendors and end-users might eventually lose. Though sample pricing is relevant, yet you must not consider it until complete evaluation and ranking of all technical and quality issues according to the requirements of the end-user.

Some of the best practices and means of evaluating include four important quality issues:

Logistics

Testing capability and accuracy

Interpretation quality

Information management

Once you find coverage for all four bases, pricing becomes the legitimate point of consideration.

Logistics

Processing individual samples through a multi-station oil testing laboratory without losing track of the sample bottles along with their results requires thoughtful planning and rigorous attention to the details.

Sample Tracking

The use of barcodes helps in maintaining tight control over the location of the sample bottle and test sequence. Some laboratories offer pre-printed labels, which include a barcode providing identification of the customer, the component, the machine, and tests conducted.

Turnaround Cycle

During the early years in the industry, the high-quality oil and petroleum analysis lab near me did exception work after going to significant lengths. The lab took the action for accurately determining the real causes of change. Besides, the lab also took a huge time in declaring the results. The labs should maintain the timeline as well as the quality of the products. However, the petroleum analysis laboratory, which follows highly standardized practices has better quality and efficiency.

Sample Retention Time

Following the provision of the results, users typically take several hours or days to review all the data and comments. Labs retain samples as a policy for a period for this reason. Sample retention cycles and a storage and indexing system are important. A 30-day sample retention interval should provide enough time for the user to review data and request additional tests or rechecks if the results are unusual. The lab should have the means to spot such situations prior to accepting and forwarding the data to the customer.

Capability and Accuracy

An oil testing laboratory conducts several tests that help in measuring oil and machine health with some of them overlapping with each other. The professionals developed the test for measuring the new properties and capabilities of oil. However, all of these works well for transformer oil testing and machine health when adopted accordingly-and with the adaption causing no significant effect on data efficacy.

The laboratories conduct nearly 20 common tests that work as a nucleus for creating a used-oil lab technical offering. These tests measure viscosity, chemical constituency, chemical stability, oxidation stability, contaminants, (fuel, glycol, solids, residue, and moisture), and wear debris. The laboratories operate each of the test instruments in a systematic and repeatable manner to assure quality results, including calibration and instrument repeatability.

Interpretation Quality

Turning data into information may be the single biggest challenge the used-oil lab faces. Often the reported results use differently by different users depending on the user's capabilities. Often a user receives a report and quickly scans the page looking for a red X or a green Y, irrespective of what the data actually represents. If users are not technically strong or qualified, the lab reports about the exceeding limits and offers more than simple anecdotal commentary.

However, in order to provide a more detailed level of recommendation, the lab must know the context from which the sample was collected and have personnel experienced in evaluating data from the machinery under test. In order to create an accurate sample context, the lab needs to understand the component's mechanical function, operating context (paper mill, steel mill, cement plant), and operating conditions. This includes machine criticality, previous oil analysis history, oil age, amount of top-up, quality of any filtration, the extent of filtration, etc.

Information Management

The last piece of investigation into the lab's work is reviewing how the lab manages information. In the end, the only piece of information the customer sees is the machine-specific report, whether in print or electronic format. However, that document is an extension of the lab's fitness for managing an extraordinary amount of information, beginning with the information about the machines and the operating context. Most of the laboratories use software systems called Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), which independent software houses or an instrument supplier might provide as an add-on with an instrument suite.

Conclusion

Oil analysis laboratories provide a critical part of the condition-based maintenance puzzle. Sample tracking, turnaround, and retention are important logistical concerns. The sample results and report quality get influenced by the lab's testing capabilities and effectiveness for managing its instruments. Instrument calibration and repeatability are keys to producing quality results. After selecting the right tests and producing accurate results, the lab must convert the data to practical, actionable reports. Analyst experience and depth of perspective about the operating context of each machine, sump, and sample point are critical.

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What is Food Shelf Life Testing?

Food Shelf Life refers to the product of physical, chemical, and microbiological processes, which are triggered by any of these contributing factors. The product's characteristics, including the quality and consistency of the ingredients, moisture content, and acidity levels, play an important role as external factors such as storage, packaging materials, and transportation of the products. Certain complex factors contribute to the shelf life of food, which is tailor-made by the professionals according to the composition of the products, storage, and packaging. 

Food Shelf-Life Testing helps you in defining accurate dates for your products by ensuring that the quality remains acceptable and safe for the consumers. Some of the tests undertaking by the professionals and food testing lab specialists include: 

• Food-borne microorganisms such as Listeria, Salmonella, E.Coli, Campylobacter, yeasts and molds, Staphylococcus Aureus, Bacillus Cereus, Lactic Acid Bacteria
• Total viable count
• Enterobacteriaceae
• Moisture content 
• Acidity levels 
• pH value 
• Water activity
• Fat rancidity

Accurate and reliable Food Shelf Life Testing help reduce the risk of product recalls and identify the causes of reduced shelf life of the products. The testing help in improving the products, processes, and ultimately the profitability of the company. 

Food products must meet both the national and international food hygiene regulations, which have their relations to the Food Shelf Life. Maintaining regulations helps in consumer safety and prevents the organization from facing legal complaints, which helps in contributing to the integrity and reputation of the brand. The Food Shelf Life Testing Labs Near Me work with each of the products throughout the Food Shelf Life Testing that follows a list of procedures including microbial indicator analysis as well as sensory, chemical, and physical analysis. For instance, if a product will last for 90 days at refrigerated temperatures, the company store the product in a certain way and test a sample at the beginning and at time points throughout the shelf life and even longer. 

The Shelf-Life Testing of the food helps in recognizing the way food product performs over time and identify the changes caused due to ingredients, packaging, or other contributory factors that helps in lengthening shelf life and increase profit. The Food Shelf Life Testing Laboratory follows appropriate accreditations, making the process reliable, efficient, and cost-effective. 

• Important Components of Shelf-life Testing
• Organoleptic and Appearance 
• Microbiological Analysis 
• Rancidity (Degradation of Fats and Oils)
• The Most Common Methods Used for Determining Shelf Life of Food
• Direct Method
• Challenge Test 
• Predictive Microbiology 
• Survival Method

The organoleptic testing includes color, texture, packaging, aroma, separation, stratification, and taste, which are of high importance to a consumer when selecting a product. 

The microbiological analysis includes: 

• Aerobic plate count
• Yeast
• Mold
• Clostridium perfringens
• Total Coliforms and E. Coli
• Salmonella 
• Mesophilic and Thermophilic Sporeformers 
• Lactic acid bacteria 
• Staphylococcus aureus 
• Alicyclobacillus 

Simply speaking, rancidity testing determines the level of oxidation. In case a lipid goes rancid, the value as a foodstuff gets compromised and takes on a foul or slate flavor. The laboratories need to conduct proper rancidity testing for determining the shelf life of the product. Most of the food testing laboratories near me conduct the following rancidity tests: 

The Peroxide Value (PV) testing helps in determining the amount of oxidation in a lipid sample. Peroxides are the first indicator that the lipid is oxidizing. 

The p-Anisidine (p-AV) testing determines the number of aldehydes in a lipid sample. The professionals often pair the test PV, as aldehydes are the secondary indicator of lipid oxidation. 

The Free Fatty Acids (FFA) testing helps in determining the number of fatty acids that get liberated from their triglyceride structure. The reaction causes the lipid to become slightly acidic. 

Ingredient Activity (Degradation of botanicals, and other unstable compounds, as well as loss or gain of moisture)

The laboratories ensure that the bioactive ingredient in the product remains shelf-stable throughout their life and meet all the label claims until the date of expiry is of utmost importance. The laboratory analyzes several bioactive ingredients like Vitamins, EPA, DHA, Glucosamine, Phytosterols, Amino acids, minerals, Sulfites, Chondroitin, Caffeine, and others for determining the possibilities of degradation over time. Relevant products that undergo testing include packaged and frozen foods, dairy products, produce and juices, confectionery, and nutritional supplements. Most of the food testing laboratories offer six standard conditions for testing the shelf life. These include frozen food, refrigerated, ambient, tropical, accelerated, and intermediate. 

Considering the point of view of food safety, the shelf life of food depends on four main factors: formulation, packaging, processing, and storage. The most common methods used for testing the shelf life of food include: 

The direct method includes real-time studies consisting of storing the products under conditions similar to those that would actually face, to monitor its evolution in regular intervals of time. The main advantage of the method is that it helps in creating a very accurate estimation of the time it takes for a product to deteriorate. However, these studies take much time and fail to consider the fact that the storage conditions of a product fail to be stable over time.  

The food testing method consists of the experimental introduction of pathogens or microorganisms into the food during the process of production. The method helps the professionals to explore the conditions that the product would suffer in real life. The main disadvantage of the test is that the professionals can only analyze the effects caused by the studied parameters. Moreover, it is quite difficult and complex to implement the studies. 

The method helps in analyzing the different types of microbial responses to the food in various environmental conditions, which the professionals formulate based on the models of mathematics and statistics. The professionals use the study while developing new products, or while considering the possible changing conditions of the product. 

The method is a type of study based completely upon the opinion of the customer about the physical characteristics of the product. The method consists of knowing the attitude of people towards the same product with different manufacturing dates, which further determines whether the foods are fit for consumption. The method helps in establishing a relationship between the shelf life and the perceived quality of the product. Although the method fails to estimate the accurate shelf life, it is important in a complementary way that helps establish the best date of the product. 

The interest and practice of food preservation is not a new concept. Rather, it is an age-old practice. Salting, pickling, and drying food in the sun and air helped in extending the shelf life of the products. However, due to industrialization, food-producing companies provide the best quality food responsibly and determine their products’ shelf life.

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Why do you need to know that what is thermal conductivity testing?

What is thermal conductivity testing?

Thermal conductivity testing is a process of making the element/product exhibit properties of transferring heat through its body, products that are able to transfer heat quickly through them are called good conductors of heat and the ones that are not able to pass heat through their bodies are called poor conductors of heat.

Thermal conductivity testing is necessary for measuring the heat receptivity of appliances to ascertain the range of heat insulation, conduction, and transfer abilities acquired by the product. This thermal conductivity is comprised of several factors such as the material, density of the product, and other factors such as pressure, temperature, etc.

These tests can help in minimizing chances of shocks, current leakages, and short circuits that can sometimes become lethal to the consumer's well-being, standardizations are also provided by International organizations such as the ISO that require mandatory testing for shock resistance. The inability of the following can cause companies in huge numbers and can even lead to license cancellations, hence pre-release thermal conductivity testing is mandatory in today's environment for any of the specified products.

Accurate knowledge of a material's thermal conductivity aides in making predictions on the capacity of heat transfer by conduction. Thermal conductivity is a pure material property independent of conduction-area or material thickness. ASTM D5470 is a standardized two-sided, one-dimensional heat flow approach that is increasingly been used for thermal conductivity measurement in a wide range of devices. The most popular units for thermal conductivity are Watt/meter Kelvin (W/mK). Thermal resistivity is simply defined as the reciprocal of thermal conductivity. 

What is the use of thermal conductivity?

The most pertinent reason for thermal conductivity testing lies in the potential of damage due to overheating or bad conductivity through an element that can cost heavily to both the producer and their final consumers since thermal conductivity is a material property that is independent of any particular application since material properties are ideally "application-independent".

There are critical aspects of understanding the nuances related to factors that determine the conductivity of other elements in the compound hence there is a need for evaluating the overall thermal performance of any particular electronic device, therefore Semiconductor Thermal Testing is conducted to determine the overall thermal resistance of a packaged semiconductor device.

We at sigma test are providing you a specially curated NABL accredited laboratory for thermal conductivity testing services. If you have any doubt or queries please visit our website sigmatest.org/thermal-conductivity-testing.html or call on +91 - 9560222333 or ask any questions to our team related to your product testing. 

What is REACH Testing? And Importance of REACH Testing.

Reach testing is a European testing standard that has been devised keeping in mind the safety requirements of human and environmental well being. It specifies a list of materials that must be tested for any potential risk to its consumers and to the environment in general, it entails subsequent testing for Plastic products, Chemicals, Metals and metal articles, Toys, Packaging material, Coated Material, Finished Goods, Paint with other products apart from the above-mentioned categories of commodities.

Due to concerns related to producer accountability on the use of hazardous substances, reach testing services are provided by reach testing laboratories giving in-depth analysis of safety concerns related to the substances which might violate the guidelines prescribed in the REACH manual.

REACH stands for Registration, 

Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of 

Chemicals. The fundamentals of Reach works upon building a responsible attitude towards substances that are unfit from human and environmental degradation point of view and gradually discarding such substances by replacing them with alternatives that are more consumer and environment friendly. This attitude will not only help in reaping long term benefits of sustainable growth but will also be a step towards disposing of the social responsibility of the producers. 

The Regulation holds the producers accountable for ensuring that the substances used in consumer durables satisfy quality standards and are thereafter disposed of off safely, keeping the health of the environment intact, it rules the possibility of replacing the most dangerous chemicals (referred to as "substances of very high concern") as and when suitable alternatives are identified.

These standards mandated by the European Union have greater benefits to producers who comply by these since companies are becoming more and more competitive both domestically and globally henceforth there is an ardent need for producers to not fall in the regulatory purview of regulatory bodies and towards greater benefits of increased customer reach due to the responsible behavior exhibited by such companies.

What is reach compliance testing? 

Reach compliance testing involves ascertaining the chemical composition of certain substances above the prescribed limits, even though it was a legislation that was followed throughout the European Union but now it has a global effect, it enables manufacturers to enter the EU market without worrying about fines and additional hassles.

The REACH regulation contains information regarding substances that are under scrutiny from Annex XVII (Restricted Substances such as 3 phthalates for toys and 6 phthalates for toys) when the toy can be placed in the mouth by children to the list of SVHC's or substances of very high concern, it is while conforming to these guidelines, that producer must ensure that products do not contain regulated substances above the legal limit, therefore a third party test is advisable for manufacturers.

The Sigma Test and Research Center is a specially NABL accredited laboratory. We are providing you all types of testing services like Toy Testing, Reach Testing, Food Testing, Non-Destructive Testing, Drinking Water Testing, Oil Testing etc. at very good rates. Book your test with a Sigma certified lab.

Search now for a wide array of reach tests performed scientifically by industry experts. Our lab support ensures optimum satisfaction and coverage of all safety guidelines issued by Indian and international food safety organizations. Have a query? Get in touch and clear all hassles!

Contact the Sigma Team For Any Inquiry

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Why Shelf-Life Study of Packaged Food Items is Required

 What is Shelf-Life?

The term "shelf life" refers to the amount of time food can be stored until it begins to deteriorate, as long as any specified storage conditions are met.

The start of a product's shelf life is when it is prepared or processed. Its duration is determined by a variety of factors, including the ingredients used, the production process, the packaging used, and how the food is processed. It is usually marked by a date mark on the product's label.

How is Shelf-Life related to Food Safety?

Shelf-Life testing describes the process of determining how long food can keep its quality after it has been stored. A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) framework should be used to control the pathogen content (safety) of foods. Pathogen development can be assessed using predictive modeling or challenge monitoring.

Food protection and product shelf life, on the other hand, are inextricably related. A food's shelf life should include the following:

Remain healthy to eat.

Its appearance, odor, texture, and flavor should all be preserved.

Ensure that the nutritional claims on the packaging are met. 

Anyone who packages and sells food that must be date-marked is legally responsible for measuring how long their product can be expected to last without deteriorating in quality. The shelf life of the food must be specified on the package, as well as the storage instructions necessary to maintain that shelf life.

The food producer is usually responsible for this, but it may also be re-packers, secondary processors, food manufacturers, and supermarkets.

What exactly is the shelf-life study?

A variety of experiments are performed on the given goods as part of shelf-life research to see how they adapt over time and with other environmental factors. Chemical, sensory, analytical, and microbiological tests are among the different tests available.

They concentrate on various aspects of the product, such as its materials, packaging, manufacturing, and storage conditions. As a result, the influence of each of these variables on the product is observed.

The shelf-life research report is focused on the type and quantity of these variables. The shelf-life analysis must be repeated if any of these elements are modified in form or quantity.

For example, if you change the packaging of your product and its life cycle is influenced by this change, you would need to opt for another shelf-life test.

Importance of Shelf-Life Study of Packaged Food

Shelf-life aims to assist consumers in making healthy and informed food choices. Only if the product is purchased intact and undamaged should the shelf life be considered legitimate. Consumers should always follow the manufacturer's instructions for storage, particularly when it comes to temperature and how to use the product after it has been opened. Consumers should also accept shelf-life details when buying foods to avoid wasting food.

Ingredients, foods, and supplements can undergo deteriorative changes during their shelf life that can impact their chemical, sensory and nutritional properties (texture, appearance, flavor, nutritional value, and beneficial health effects).

Types of tests for Shelf-Life Analysis

Since the procedure can range from food product shelf-life studies to cosmetic product shelf-life studies, different tests must be performed for each case. You should contact a reputable laboratory to find out what types of testing your goods will undergo depending on their type and other considerations such as storage conditions.

This can only be driven by the experts. Furthermore, you should note that performing the right type of tests is extremely important for obtaining the required results.

Sigma labs can ensure you have a full understanding of how a product changes over time. Our expertise instability and shelf-life testing for ingredients and finished food products include: -

ORGANOLEPTIC TESTING

Colour, texture, scent, and taste investigation for the entire lifetime of products. Our taste optimization service integrates sensory features such as mouth-filling and optimization of the texture to ensure that all aspects of your product meet your requirements and high market acceptability levels.

INVESTIGATION OF THE STRUCTURE

Not only in predicting and optimizing the quality of a commodity or raw material, but also in predicting and optimizing the physical properties of foods are important.

Our scientists use a variety of analytical techniques and expertise to characterize the physical and structural characteristics of food products and ingredients, as well as to predict how substances will behave during processing and storage.

Accelerated Testing

Sigma Labs can predict the volatility of a new product or packaging using accelerated testing. In a relatively short period, this provides preliminary shelf-life results. This involves oxidative stability monitoring with Rancimat and Oxipres equipment, as well as storage at elevated temperatures, humidity, and light conditions.

Predictive Modelling

Predictive models are mathematical equations that use database information to forecast bacterial growth under specific conditions. Food shelf life can be calculated using predictive models. For the calculations, information on the changes that occur in the product as it deteriorates, as well as the product's properties and packaging, is needed. The majority of predictive models are tailored to real species of organisms.

Models are useful as a first step in determining the shelf life of a product. Knowledge from modeling programs, on the other hand, must be checked through challenge testing or a shelf life trial.

What is challenge testing?

Challenge testing is used to determine if a food's formulation and storage conditions will regulate the growth of pathogens, if any are present, for the duration of the shelf life.

In order to assess the risk of food poisoning or to maintain product stability, the procedure involves inoculating the product with relevant microorganisms and incubating it under controlled environmental conditions.

When is it appropriate to use challenge testing?

A variety of factors contribute to the preservation effect in many foods, none of which is adequate to regulate the food's protection on its own. If the impact of such food control systems on specific pathogenic microorganisms cannot be predicted from the literature, challenge testing may be required to assess the product's safety.

Depending on your needs, Sigma Labs will help you complete the whole process or assist you with specific aspects such as sample storage, sample processing, or final reporting.

As a result, you'll be able to get a one-stop shop for all of your shelf-life research needs.

Please feel free to contact our experts at Sigma Labs with any questions or to get your products checked for shelf life.

Visit our website https://www.sigmatest.org

Why is Vibration Testing Needed?

Experiment for the designing of products and stress screening for controlling quality. Vibration testing is fulfilled by introducing a function of force into a structure, usually with help of some shaker. Vibration testing makes sure that the product performance is up to the mark under extreme conditions.

Products are tested in the vibration environment to judge the durability and to check if there any improvements required to ensure the working and integrity of automotive products using vibration testing and analysis.

Vibration testing and vibration analysis help to adjust automotive products for paramount vehicle and structural soundness perception using ways and techniques such as dwells and resonant searches, fixture resonance evaluation, reproduction of sample road, custom fabrication, and fixture design, and more.

Vibration testing summarizes of 

• Resonant Dwells and searches.
• Fixture resonance evaluation.
• Fabrication and custom fixture design.
• Combined vibration and environment.
• Strain monitoring during vibration.
• Electrodynamics shakers used for Accelerated Stress Testing.

Products are vibration tested in order to determine tolerances and limits. Every product is exposed to vibration loads and failure or potential breakage. Vibration testing acknowledges all engineers, manufacturers, and designers in order to know that what stress limits their products can withstand.

Many industries such as Automobiles, Electronics, Test Labs, Medical are routinely using vibration testing as a part of their quality control program. Finding out before what vibration makes a product withstands before release tends to make a good business sense.

Not all vibration types are the same. All vibrations have common characteristics that can place them under defined parameters. These Parameters are equilibrium points when at rest, and extreme or far points when in motion.

Types of Vibration Testing 

Preliminary Vibration where testing devices undergo a sophisticated and rigorous examination to help in improving product design. This is normally tending to happen in clinical a setting like vibration testing labs or research and development facilities. Since liberation testing and analysis sets product maximum tolerances and parameter limits, knowing this is extremely paramount in condemning situations.

Secondary Evaluation appeals to equipment and products already in service. Vibration testing is not countable o predicting potential failure or maintaining peak performance. Dangerous, catastrophic or expensive failures happen when a huge number of machines suffer from external or internal forces causing them to stop, wear or explode.

Vibration testing and analysis in a controlled manner facility is exacting, accurate, and precise procedure. Professionals who are trained using worldly wide knowledgeable machines to test all the types of the products for vibration tolerances and limits.  Normally, if there is a larger product then testing machinery needs to be bigger in the same manner. Testing weights generally go from a few ounces to thousand pounds.

In vibration testing labs, vibration tests are performed as one axis at one single time than in all three axes. The shakers used for testing are specifically made to shake the product in the vertical direction, and in order to cover the full axis, the product or object is rotated in a way to apply vibration in all directions.

The three main types of shaker testing are normally grouped according to the kind of vibration testing instrument employed.

1. Mechanical vibration shakers, the most convenient and affordable form of vibration testing, the mechanical shakers are highly reliable. Nevertheless, due to the limited range of oscillation and speed, mechanical shakers not always tend to meet the testing demands of heavy-duty products.
2. Electrohydraulic shakers provide a medium of electricity to generate a hydraulically controlled shaker table. This type of shaker testing is expensive than a mechanical shaker.
3. Electromagnetic shakers, to create some of the highest and advanced levels of vibration, shakers generally have abilities to calibrate while generating vibration rates.

There a huge variety of things that can be detected while analyzing vibration data, mostly with frequency spectra. Some of the common mistakes or faults are imbalance, looseness, bearing faults, misalignment, belt problems, and more.

Since accelerometers are still the most common tool which is used to collect vibration data. Vibration analysis is generally further distinguished in four principles.

• Time The domain is when a vibration signal tends to be picked up from a transducer and then shown on the screen of an oscilloscope, it is known as a waveform.
• Frequency Domain, when the waveform is subjected to spectrum analysis, the result is an image of frequency against amplitude.
• Joint The domain used to calculate types off fast Fourier transform.
• Modal Analysis takes measured frequency response functions of a piece of machinery which further puts it into the computer model.

Sigma’s highly qualified engineers ensure the high quality of the product by offering a wide variety of shock and vibration testing services with years of knowledge and expertise, Sigma can help to determine the best design for the product and its reliability.

Have a query? Get in touch and clear all hassles! Call the Sigma team at 9560222333. 

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Spectrophotometer and Calibration Curves: Sigma Labs

What is a Spectrophotometer? 

A spectrophotometer is a popular optical instrument that measures light intensity in relation to color (or wavelength). They’re used in the lab to see how much light a coloured chemical dissolved in the solution absorbs. This enables us to quantify chemical concentrations and purity, evaluate particular chemical properties, and monitor and measure chemical reactions in real-time.

What are Calibration Curves? 

Calibration curves are used to calculate the concentration of unknown substances based on measurements of known concentration solutions. The calibration curve determines the precision and accuracy of the measurements. The more accurate the answer, the better the curve; the less accurate the answer, the worse is the curve. Calibration curves are used for a wide range of measurements on a wide range of devices. 

Why is Calibration Important? 

Calibration increases the accuracy of precise measurements needed in R&D, innovation, and the final output of millions of goods and services around the world. Take a moment to look around your room right now; the majority of what you see has been manufactured to strict measurement specifications that were ensured by calibration.

Calibration is secretly behind the scenes assuring precise measurements vital to the convenience, efficiency, and protection of goods and innovation we enjoy and rely  on a daily basis. 

For example – 

• All modes of transportation and associated services, including automobiles, trains, planes, and gas stations
• Phones, mobile phone service, computers, appliances, and televisions are all examples of electronics.
• All modes of transportation and associated services, including automobiles, trains, planes, and gas stations
• Phones, mobile phone coverage, computers, appliances, and test and measurement instruments.
•  Prescriptions and pharmacy products
•  Medical instruments, such as pacemakers, and sterilization procedures
• Rockets, spacecraft, and the International Space Station associated structures.
• Producing, transporting, and storing food.
• Commodities such as oil, grains, and gold.

In an ever-expanding universe of millions of other utilities and manufactured products around the world, the list goes on and on.

How to determine Concentration using a Spectrophotometer? 

For the classification and analysis of substances, the ultraviolet and visible light spectrum (UV/VIS) is commonly used in research, manufacturing, and quality control. The absorption of light by a sample is the basis for UV/VIS spectroscopy. Valuable details, such as the purity of the sample, can be obtained based on the amount of light and its wavelength absorbed by the sample. Furthermore, since the amount of absorbed light is proportional to the amount of sample, optical spectroscopy allows for a quantitative study.

Now, let us specifically explores techniques when using a spectrophotometer to determine the concentration of an analyte. (a substance whose chemical constituents are being identified and measured)

A UV/VIS spectrophotometer compares the strength of light before and after it travels through a sample solution in a cuvette (straight-sided clear container for holding liquid samples in a spectrophotometer).  A light source, a sample holder, a dispersive apparatus to isolate the various wavelengths of light, and an appropriate detector are the key components of a UV/VIS spectrophotometer. The ratio of the transmitted intensity I to the initial intensity of light is measured by this instrument, which is known as transmittance. The Absorbance, which is described as A = log, is another significant derived (calculated) variable stated by the instrument (Transmittance).

A UV/VIS spectrum is usually interpreted graphically as absorbance as a function of wavelength. The benefit of this representation is clear: the height of the absorption peaks is proportional to the species concentration. The Lambert-Beer Law governs the measurement of concentration. To determine the concentration, use the following formula: C = (epsilon) x d = A.

Where C is the sample concentration in mol/L or g/mL, D is the length of the Cuvette direction in cm, and E is the sample unique constant – specific to the instrument and in epsilon. (describing how much the sample absorbs at a given wavelength)

Calibration Curve

Each instrument would have its own constant E that is unique to the wavelength and sample being measured, as described above. The value of constant varies depending on the instrument’s age and its components. As a result, it must be determined prior to each experiment. This is accomplished by preparing different known quantities of the sample and calculating the absorbance. Then you should make a graph of absorbance (y-axis) vs. concentration (x-axis). This graph will produce a straight-line plot with E as the slope, according to the equation above.

Then, one will use the calibration curve to calculate the concentration of an unknown sample by calculating its absorbance after it has been formed. After the graph shows the calculated absorbance, a horizontal line is drawn, from the absorbance to the calibration curve, followed by a vertical line down from the curve to concentration. This will indicate the concentration of the unknown sample.

Advantages of Spectrophotometer 

A spectrophotometer has the advantage due to its high-tech spectral analysis possibilities along with its easy and fast techniques. Users will gather data in a matter of seconds for the correct spectrophotometer model, making it suitable for a variety of applications. Developers can make more progress in less time with quicker calculations.

In the food industry, for example, food quality and safety are two of the most critical factors for consumers. If these two conditions are not met, the company may lose earnings or even its prestige, ultimately leading to bankruptcy. Thus, in addition to the general sense of food quality variables such as colour, appearance, scent, and taste, a spectrophotometer may also assist the food provider by providing instrumentation for chemistry and biology research. Furthermore, the spectrophotometer also helps maintain high-quality management, and manufacturing techniques are used to extend the shelf life of foods while ensuring their protection.

Get your right Spectrophotometer Model with Sigma Labs!

Our large range of spectrophotometers enables users to build precise calibration curves for their products. To learn more about our service, connect with us today! 

Why should we ensure the safety of drinking water?

Water is an elementary human need. Water is connecting to every possible form of life on earth. Each person on this planet requires at least 10 liters of safe, clean and accessible water in a day for drinking.  Safe drinking water can be defined as water that does not have any significant risk present in it for health over a long period of consumption.

Safe water not necessarily is pure, it may have some impurities such as some trail of salts like calcium, magnesium, carbonates and others present in it which is injuries to health. 

Millions of people die every year because of no access to safe drinking water to many water-related issues like diarrhea cholera, malaria, hepatitis and so on. There are basic norm, standards and criterion for safe drinking water.

Proper examination is necessary to be done to ensure that water does not have any sort of harmful chemicals or substances and is perfectly fit for drinking and consumption. In any case, if the water contains any slightest amount of harmful substance, it can cause trouble for the consumer. 

This is because large organizations should conduct drinking water analysis regularly and individuals should also ensure that the water they are consuming is properly tested and safe.

Sometimes, the water purification system fails to identify the toxin levels present in water and in order to keep away from this problem, it is important contacting an authorized drinking water testing and getting all systems checked for efficiency in safe water drinking.

Physical Testing, most of the parameters which are physical can simply be observed like color, smell, odor and taste. 

Turbidity is the most important parameter commonly used to measure high levels of turbidity tend to reduce the effectiveness of some water treatment technologies. 

In turbidity, tube water is slowly poured then placing the head over the tube about 10 to 20 cm above try to see the bottom of the tube.

Now water is poured until it becomes hard to see the bottom and then turbidity is read from the scale on the side of the tube. There are digital turbidimeters available too.  

Chemical Testing is merely not possible to test for all chemicals that could lead to serious health problems, neither it is necessary as most of the chemicals are rarely present in water and major of them result from human contamination.

However, there are three chemicals that cause serious health problems. These are fluoride, arsenic which occurs naturally and nitrate which is very commonly used in fertilizers. While testing, these three are prioritized.

The second priority for drinking water testing is that it is free of dissolved solids and metals (iron and manganese).

• Colorimetric method – Chemical agents are added which reacts with chemical parameter interested. The product that formed absorbs the light at a wavelength. Then the water sample is analyzed in a colorimeter and compared with known standards.
• Electrode Methods – Ion-selective electrodes to measure the concentration of certain ions in a water sample with electrode and meter PH can easily be measured.
• Chromatography – Samples are passed through channels of columns containing specific coating that particularly retains definite types of chemicals. Then different compounds are passed through the column at different speeds that depend on their affinity to coating or packaging. At the exit of a column, a detector quantifies the concentration of a chemical. Many types of chromatography are liquid chromatography, ion chromatography, gas chromatography.
• Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS) – AAS is used in order to analyze the presence of metals. Samples are heated electrically in a graphite furnace or inflame and then concentration are determined.

Microbiological Testing, the most serious health risk for the public is associated with water in the microbiological contamination. The pathogen in water such as bacteria, protozoa, viruses can cause so many hazardous health problems. 

Three main microbiological testing methods are

• Presence/ Absence (P-A), is a qualitative test depending on color change to show the presence of contamination.
• Most Probable Number (MPN), estimates the number of an indicator like bacteria that are present in a water sample.
• Membrane Filtration, most accurate to determine the number of indicators in the water sample

Probable Test Methods

• Strips (Reagent) Test, single-use strips to measure the different chemical contaminants that change color. Dipping strips into a sample of water and swishing it around, waiting for a short period and then the color of the strip is compared with a color chart to identify the concentration level of the chemical.
• Color Disc Comparator 
• Colorimeter and photometer
• Digital Meters

Sigma various range of water quality testing and analysis services to fulfil regulatory requirements. Sigma offers advanced methods for water quality testing services which ensures accuracy and quality. 

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries   

Visit Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org   

Call on this number +91-9560222333 

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Why is nutritional testing important?

We all know that adequate nutrition is one of the most important pillars of public health. Before developing and implementing effective intervention programs for improving nutrition at the population level. Often, we talk about nutritional information, cost-saving and organization. But, what exactly does nutritional analysis entail? How do you understand nutritional analysis? Does it help or hurt the business and its consumers? With the help of the article, you can find a bit more about what we think about the nutritional analysis. How you can get started implementing the same and start growing your business?

What is Nutritional Testing?

Nutritional labeling is the process of determining the nutritional content of the food. It is a vital part of analytical chemistry, which provides information about the chemical composition, processing, quality control and contamination of food. The test ensures compliance with trade and food laws. However, there are varieties of certified methods that professionals use for performing nutritional value testing. Analyzing the nutritional value of food allows the scientific determination and measuring of the nutritional composition of different food products, which are significant to the authorities and consumers.

For conducting food nutrition analysis, food companies send samples to the laboratories for physical analysis. The analysis accounts for the changes in the nutritional value, which results while cooking and processing the food. However, it is of extreme value as calories tend to increase and decrease during the cooking process, which further depends on the method used. For instance, added fats in the food increase the calorie content during frying and decrease while you grill your food. Moreover, you can add salt to the food during the preparation of the food, which finally increases the final sodium content of the dish.

How is Nutritional Testing Done?

Nutrient Analysis Software

This technique allows the use in determining the nutritional content of any food. But, the quality of the analysis highly depends on the accuracy and standardization of the recipes. Standardized recipes are those that a food service operation adapted or retrieved. However, if the food service operation uses the same quantity and quality of ingredients, the standardized recipes yield the same results in nutritional analysis.

Moreover, the analysis gets limited to the selection of the ingredients available in a food database. The approach fails to consider the effects of cooking and processing of food items, which dramatically alters the nutrient content of the food.

Immunoassays

The method is widely used in food analysis for detecting and quantifying proteins in a given food. The professionals and laboratories use the method for three reasons. First, the nutritional testing near me primarily used immunoassays for detecting cheap ingredients used to substitute high-quality products. Secondly, the nutritional testing labs apply the method in detecting and quantifying proteins involved in intolerance and allergic reactions to certain types of foods. Lastly, the method provides a way of detecting tissue-specific antigens present in food that might be associated with transmittable encephalopathy.

Mass Spectrometry

The method involves the separation of ionized atoms and molecules according to their differences in mass to charge ratio. Atoms and molecules have varied patterns of fragmentation and hence mass spectrometry provides the best way to the identification of the structural components.  Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) provides the pathway for the use of mass spectrometry in food analysis.

GC-MS is a method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the components such as sterols, alcohol, low mass carbohydrates and fatty acids. It also involves the detection of food contaminants such as pesticides, toxins, drugs and pollutants. The method is considered a major method for detecting fatty acid composition. GC-MS helps in quantifying polyphenols in fruits and vegetables, which is a chemical compound that is naturally present in plants.

Importance of Nutritional Testing

Assessment of Energy and Nutrient Intake

The estimation of the nutrient intake from food consumption requires reliable data on food composition. These data are fundamentals of food-based dietary guidelines for healthy nutrition, containing all the necessary information on food sources for different nutrients. Furthermore, the food nutritional labelling provides accurate information on the chemical forms of nutrients along with the presence and amounts of interacting components, thereby providing information on bio availability. For certain nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin E and niacin, the concept of equivalence is introduced to account for differences in the availability and biological activity of different chemical forms.

Non-nutritive Food Components

Although food nutritional value testing focus on energy, macro well as micronutrients, yet the tables focus more on the non-nutritive components. If we consider the beneficial effects of biologically active secondary plant cell components such as carotenoids and polyphenols, we require more data on them. On the other hand, we even come across several naturally occurring or manmade non-nutritive substances, which has several negative effects. Through food nutrition analysis, one can know the dietary sources of these substances and control their exposure.

Agrochemicals, industrial pollutants reaching the food chain and byproducts formed during food production are a few examples of manmade non-nutritive substances. For undertaking a valid risk assessment, the laboratories require data on exposure and the contents of contaminants present on foods. However, these data varies diversely and are variable even within narrowly confined regions.

Nutrition Counselling

The nutritional testing lab near me provides information about the origin of substances found in food that can also influence their usability. For example, the German Nutrient Database does not discriminate between naturally occurring and added sucrose impeding the estimation of added intake of sucrose, which needs to be limited. Nutritional testing laboratory not only analyses the nutritional status, but also provide the basis for the formulation of food-based dietary guidelines that helps in improving the dietary needs of the population. Nutritional value testing helps in translating nutrient-based recommendations into a form that is most applicable to consumers.

Planning Clinical and Therapeutic Nutrition

One of the most special applications of nutritional testing involves diet composition is planning nutrition as a part of therapy. Diseases like diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia are some of the well-known examples that require avoidance or acute monitoring of certain nutrients. Although the data on the total contents of fat and carbohydrates and major acid classes are available, yet there is less information on other components with pathological relevance such as fructose, lactose, certain amino acids, antigens and gluten.

Information on food composition is of the greatest importance for scientists as well as practitioners working in the fields of nutrition and public health. The most apparent role is providing the basis for dietary assessment and formulating healthier diets. Nowadays, the ready meals and food served in canteens also include the following approach as they contribute to the daily nutrition of the people.

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries 

 Visit Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

 Call on this number +91-9560222333 

 Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

Importance of Shoe Testing

A myriad of strict rules and regulations governs the import, export and selling of footwear in the global markets, especially to the developed nation of the world. The rules and regulations imposed help in protecting the customers, clothing brands and the environment. The European Union along with most other countries having healthy consumer markets enforce similar trade laws and legislation concerning the methods of testing footwear as well as controlling the quality of the products.

The manufacturing, supplying and retailing units must ensure that their products meet the requirements of commercial departments as well as those of the health authorities of the countries where they choose to sell their products. A footwear company can have its markets in the EU, the UAE, Asia, and the US, Japan, Australia or any other countries of the world. But, they need to prove that they carried out the testing and met the legal requirements of the destination markets. However, if they fail to do so, the authorities reject their shipment and the firm might have to face penalties above the cost of manufacturing the footwear.

Footwear and Shoes Certifications, Licenses and Accreditation

Depending on the footwear and shoes products, the manufacturers might need a third party Footwear and Shoes laboratories or research facilities with specific certifications, licenses and accreditations. These include:

• SATRA
•  ASTM
•  AATCC
•  FIA
•  British Standards
•  DIN
•  CPSIA compliance
•  GB compliance

Laws and Regulations Related to Footwear

• Protection of intellectual property rights
• Consumer health and environmental protection (restrictions on the use of chemicals in footwear)
• Product composition and labeling requirements
• Personal protective equipment (work-wear)
• Product safety and quality

All these above-mentioned laws and regulations require third party testing of footwear for ensuring that the products meet all the requirements. Each of the laboratories in India carries out different types of tests that require the footwear to qualify for the appropriate certification pertaining to the regulations of each country.

The requirements might differ for footwear designed for children and for the workplace, compared to those intended for the average adult consumer. Moreover, various agencies take the responsibility for specific aspects of the legislation. Each country has its own agencies, which oversee the directives and the necessary footwear testing requirements.

For instance, footwear compliance requirements for The United States fall under the following agencies and departments:

Agency

Scope

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Children’s footwear; hazardous substances

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

Country of the origin for most imported products

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Labelling

Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)

Protective footwear

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Organic claims

Protection of Intellectual Property Rights for Footwear and Clothing Brands in Europe

The European Observatory on Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights long with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) act as the watchdogs for illicit trade in counterfeit goods. Both the organizations monitor all forms of transport and shipment of goods, from small parcel services to container services into the European Union (EU).

Counterfeit footwear is among the top-ranking illicit goods seized by European customs departments, and numerous court cases against the importers over the past few years.

Consumer Health and Environmental Protection- Chemical Testing of Footwear

Testing footwear for chemicals used in manufacturing and shipping is the most essential step that manufacturers and suppliers must conduct. The step ensures that their products would satisfy their consumer health and safety regulations regarding the restrictions of using certain toxic chemicals.

REACH Restrictions on Chemicals in Footwear

The footwear industry uses more than 20 toxic aromatic amines derived from Azo dyes while they manufacture the fabrics for footwear and other textiles. The EU’s REACH directives severely restrict the use of these dyes and amines. They stated the limit for the aromatic amines as 30 mg per kilogram, which is 0.003% by weight for each article.

DMF Testing for Footwear

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is a volatile chemical commonly added to desiccant sachets or silica bags placed in footwear packaging by the manufacturers as an antifungal agent. The addition of silica bags in the footwear prevents the growth of moulds on the product while storing and transporting them.

However, due to the toxicity- DMF cause allergic reactions, acute eczema and skin burns. The EU market under Directive 2009/251/EC bans the use of silica bags or DMF in footwear. Hence, suppliers of footwear to EU markets must carry out DMF tests on sample products. The test will ensure that there are no traces of DMF found in the products. It also helps in avoiding the risk of product recalls or rejection by EU customers and health authorities.

Product Composition and Labelling Requirements

Testing Fiber Authenticity

The products labels meant for clothes, shoes and other items will come in close contact with the skin must contain accurate information about the composition of the materials used in the manufacturing of the products. The manufacturers need to distinguish and label the natural and synthetic fibres especially for leather, cotton, wool, silk, linen, nylon polyester and others.

With the testing and certifications of the shoes and other leather products, the manufacturers exporting their products to others of the world can strengthen their confidence in the quality and safety of their products. The neutral and intentionally recognized test mark demonstrates the manufacturer’s compliance with legal regulations and voluntary requirements regarding harmful substances and quality to provide the customers with the extra security that they look for while purchasing footwear and other leather products.

 If you wish to know more about Sigma Laboratory or Shoe Testing, you can visit their official website- Sigmatest or you can contact them on- +91-9560222333. You can also visit Sigma’s Regd. Office at- 99, Phase 2, Badli Industrial Area, New Delhi-110042.  

What is reach testing? and What is reach compliance testing?

What is REACH testing?

Reach testing is a European testing standard that has been devised keeping in mind the safety requirements of human and environmental well being. It specifies a list of materials that must be tested for any potential risk to its consumers and to the environment in general, it entails subsequent testing for Plastic products, Chemicals, Metals and metal articles, Toys, Packaging material, Coated Material, Finished Goods, Paint with other products apart from the above-mentioned categories of commodities. 

Due to concerns related to producer accountability on the use of hazardous substances, reach testing services are provided by reach testing laboratories giving in-depth analysis of safety concerns related to the substances which might violate the guidelines prescribed in the REACH manual.

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of  Chemicals.

The fundamental of Reach works upon building a responsible attitude towards substances that are unfit from human and environmental degradation point of view and gradually discarding such substances by replacing them with alternatives that are more consumer and environment friendly. This attitude will not only help in reaping long term benefits of sustainable growth but will also be a step towards disposing of the social responsibility on the producers. 

The Regulation holds the producers accountable for ensuring that the substances used in consumer durables satisfy quality standards and are thereafter disposed of off safely, keeping the health of the environment intact, it rules the possibility of replacing the most dangerous chemicals (referred to as "substances of very high concern") as and when suitable alternatives are identified.

These standards mandated by the European Union have greater benefits to producers who comply by these since companies are becoming more and more competitive both domestically and globally henceforth there is an ardent need for producers to not fall in the regulatory purview of regulatory bodies and towards greater benefits of increased customer reach due to the responsible behavior exhibited by such companies.

What is reach compliance testing? 

Reach compliance testing involves ascertaining the chemical composition of certain substances above the prescribed limits, even though it was a legislation that was followed throughout the European Union but now it has a global effect, it enables manufacturers to enter the EU market without worrying about fines and additional hassles.

The REACH regulation contains information regarding substances that are under scrutiny from Annex XVII (Restricted Substances such as 3 phthalates for toys and 6 phthalates for toys) when the toy can be placed in the mouth by children to the list of SVHC's or substances of very high concern, it is while conforming to these guidelines, that producer must ensure that products do not contain regulated substances above the legal limit, therefore a third party test is advisable for manufacturers.

Sigma Test and Research Center is a NABL accredited laboratory. We are providing you all types of testing services like Toy Testing, Reach Testing, Food Testing, Non-Destructive Testing, Drinking Water Testing, Oil Testing etc. at very good rates. Book your test with a Sigma certified lab.

Search now for a wide array of reach tests performed scientifically by industry experts. Our lab support ensures optimum satisfaction and coverage of all safety guidelines issued by Indian and international food safety organisations.

Have a query? Get in touch and clear all hassles! Call the Sigma team at 9560222333. 

What are the differences between REACH and RoHS?

Companies operating in the European Union need to abide by the laws such as REACH and RoHS. There are some similarities, but they also possess fundamental differences. So first let us focus on REACH.

REACH is the acronym for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. It entered into force on June 1, 2007. REACH is a regulation of the European Union, which is adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the daily-life risks that can be posed by chemicals while enhancing the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry. It also promotes alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances to reduce the number of tests on animals.

This regulation applies to all chemical substances; REACH not only guides the chemical which is used in the industries but also to those which are used by us in our daily lives, for example in cleaning products, paints as well as in articles such as clothes, furniture, and electrical appliances. Therefore, this regulation has a huge impact on most companies across the EU and it changed the lifestyle of the people.

REACH has several aims:

To provide a high level of protection of human health and the environment from the use of chemicals.

To make the people who place chemicals on the market (manufacturers and importers responsible for understanding and managing the risks associated with their use.)

To allow the free movement of substances on the EU market.

To enhance innovation in and the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.

To promote the use of alternative methods for the assessment of the hazardous properties of substances.

REACH applies to substances that are manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year. Generally, this regulation is applied to all individual chemical substances on their own, in preparations or articles.

Some substances are specifically excluded:

Radioactive substances

Substances under customs supervision

The transport of substances

Non-isolated intermediates

Waste

Some naturally occurring low-hazard substances

Coming forward to RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) which directs on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, this directive was adopted in February 2003 by the European Union to protect both people and the environment from hazardous chemicals found in both electronics and electrical products.

The legislation’s primary purpose is to make electronics manufacturing safer at every stage of an electronic device’s life cycle. Of course, there are individuals and even large-scale distributors who continue to use non-RoHS parts which are completely illegal in the state, this is because RoHS compliance can be difficult to follow it completely as the devices generally may be inconvenient and expensive even at the governmental level.

Since July 1, 2006, all electrical and electronic products to be sold within the European Union must follow the RoHS materials requirements. You’ve likely heard RoHS referred to as the “lead-free directive”, but it restricts the use of six different materials, and lists their allowable levels in parts per million (ppm):

Lead: Lead is primarily used in the production of batteries, televisions, and computer monitors. RoHS restricts the use of lead to 1000ppm.

Mercury: Mercury has been used in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps, mercury- vapour lamps, printed circuitry, aluminium electroplating, thermostats, and fuel cells. The RoHS directive limits the use of mercury to 100ppm.

Cadmium: Cadmium, which has been limited by RoHS to 100ppm, can act as a stabilizer for some plastics, and is used in cadmium/nickel batteries, electroplating, pigment production, solders, brazing alloys, alarm systems, automatic sprinklers and nuclear shielding.

Hexavalent Chromium: Hexavalent chromium, which is used in photography, paints, plastics, and stainless steel products, is limited by RoHS to a level of no more than 1000ppm.

Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB): Polybrominated biphenyls, which are used in flame- retardants, plastic foams, and certain plastics used in home electrical appliances, have been limited by RoHS to 1000ppm.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE): Polybrominated diphenyl ethers are used in household electronics, printed circuit boards, and capacitors. RoHS limits the use of PBDE to 1000ppm.

Therefore, the main difference between RoHS and REACH is that RoHS prohibits hazardous substances that are present in electrical and electronic equipment that is within the directive. REACH, however, pertains to all chemicals including those used to make a product. This can include harmful materials, solvents, paints, chemicals, and more.

REACH is much broader in scope than RoHS, while RoHS covers the hazardous materials and focuses on those used in the manufacturing of electronics whereas REACH targets and controls the usage of thousands of harmful substances and is not limited to the electronics industry. For instance, cars, toys, furniture, and even clothing can be subjected to REACH provisions. By now we are pretty much clear about that though REACH and RoHS are different things, it is very essential in our daily lives to keep us protected from the harmful substances around us.

Have a query? Get in touch and clear all hassles! Call the Sigma team at 9560222333. 

What is food packaging testing?

Food Packaging

Post the breakthroughs in the packaged food industry and home food delivery services that have become the norm today, the demand for packaged food has risen dramatically. Due to the online food delivery mechanisms that are cost-efficient, convenient and enticing to the tongue, the trend for packaged food habits has been adopted by one and all which has, in turn, raised concerns regarding food packaging standards in India and abroad.

How a particular food item will be packed depends upon the nature, perishability and lifetime of the product, it is said that it is the packaging that impresses the consumers first and not the taste but packaging necessarily doesn't mean in the aesthetic appeal of the product but it signifies the quality of packaging in which the product is handed for disposal to the customer.

Food Quality

There is a great deal of research that has been put to what materials must be used to pack a particular food item in a particular way so that it remains in its best form for a maximum period of time and does not react with the flavours of the food items which can lead to the food becoming toxic for human consumption. Since food items are subject to many quality and hygiene checks, several regulatory organisations have also issued specific guidelines that must be followed by producers while determining standard packaging procedures. Henceforth, testing the quality of such packaging becomes essential and in this process, the task of food packaging laboratories comes into play.

Food Packaging Laboratories

Food packaging laboratories conduct specific tests by using food samples and packaging material to measure the viability of the packaging to sustain the food item inside it in the most effective way. Packaging testing ensures that the packaging material provides sufficient insights for protection from microorganisms to enter the product, it also provides safety, durability, spill protection guidance in terms of liquid food items and in the maintenance of standards of hygiene.

Food Chemical Testing

Chemical testing is conducted by labs on foods that have direct contact with plastics or foils or other high contact materials in which the item is contained for reactive results to ascertain if exposure to a certain material does not make the food unfit for consumption.

Several gases are also used in packaging food items such as chips, packed vegetables and drinks which must not be harmful to human health, hence a comprehensive evaluation of all these variables is a necessity before releasing the product out in the market, several companies today are known for their quality since it always maintains consumers trust on the product for a long period since quality and hygiene are the fundamental concerns of any consumer.

Food packaging material testing services near you can be availed by simply typing in your location and service required for tailormade tests as per producer requirements.

Sigma is an NABL and FSSAI accredited laboratory for Food Packaging testing. Search now for a wide array of Food Packaging tests performed scientifically by industry experts. Our lab support ensures optimum satisfaction and coverage of all safety guidelines issued by Indian and international food safety organisations.

Have a query? Get in touch and clear all hassles! Call the Sigma team at 9560222333. 

Top 5 Hygiene Tips for Food Safety

Food safety and hygiene are essential and critical parts of healthy eating habits. It is an integral part of living healthy. Not only that, maintaining food quality is as necessary as maintaining the proper diet. After all, you do want to become fit, but not at the cost of food poisoning, right. So what can you possibly do to keep what you eat healthily? Here are five quick tips that can save you from bad poisoning and provide you with a more sustainable healthier goal. Read on to find out!

1. Know the food you are buying.

The place you are buying food from is equally important when it comes to hygiene and quality. Make sure that the place is itself clean and hygienic, and the food is fresh. If you are buying packaged food then make sure that they are properly labelled and come from a trusted source. The package should have relevant labels certifying the quality and inspection certifications as well. If you do not trust the source then simply do not buy it. Remember hygiene in food production is directly proportionate to your personal safety measures.

2. Pay heed to proper storage norms for food safety.

Properly wash the market-bought vegetables and fruits and refrigerate them to prevent them from rotting. Even for packaged food, the first step to your personal hygiene is to maintain proper storage. Establish a clean pantry in your kitchen. Make use of different airtight clean containers to store your pulses, legumes and spices.

Storing these things in proper containers will not only make your kitchen and pantry more organized but will also provide you with a clean and tidy environment that will be healthy for you and your family in the end. Never keep your food open or uncovered. Make inspections from time to time to make sure that the quality is up to the mark.

3. Use well-sanitized kitchenware.

The plates you are eating on are as important as the food that you are eating when it comes to overall hygiene. Make sure that all the utensils you are using for food preparation, cooking as well as eating are properly washed and sanitized. The cutlery is important too. Wash them, make them completely dry, and then put them away in dry and clean storage space. Space should be well covered, yet with particular ventilation to prevent dampness and accumulation of fungi.

If you are storing your utensils in an open space, then pay attention to the fact that they are washed before using. Even the containers that we talked about must be completely clean with zero dampness. They must be airtight and should always be properly closed after each use. Avoid using plastic containers. Glass containers are particularly nice when it comes to food safety and hygiene.

4. Properly disinfect your kitchen, pantry and dining area.

Using industrial products is a good idea. But you have to keep in mind to not use them directly around food or utensils. Maintain different sets of fresh hand-towels for your kitchen. Always keep the kitchen-top clean. Clean the chimney, the microwave and the refrigerator. Maintain a closed dustbin and never forget to dispose of the trash properly. Do not use detergents to clean the utensils. Instead, use only those soaps that are specifically designed for the purpose.

5. Maintain personal hygiene.

Yes. Personal hygiene is also an important aspect of food safety and hygiene. All your hard work in maintaining the quality can be damaged if you simply forget to wash your hands before food preparation, or before eating. While cooking and food preparation, always wear an apron and keep a fresh, clean hand-towel handy. Pay attention to your overall appearance and hygiene. It is preferable if you wear a net cap, mask and gloves for better prevention and maintenance. Always touch your food with clean hands.

Last but definitely not the least; do not forget to follow all the above points! Each point is important if you want to maintain food safety and hygiene. Moreover, following these simple tips may also make your quality even better!

Sigma Test & Research Centre is the best food testing laboratory in India. We have highly professional testers as well as use up-to-date equipment for the same. Contact us at +91-9560222333 or Visit our website--https://www.sigmatest.org

RoHS stands for Reduction of Hazardous Substances

RoHS stands for Reduction of Hazardous Substances and is an EU directive that prevents the use of certain substances in electronic products. It essentially directs to not keep certain chemicals in the product. The directive is popularly known as the “Lead Directive” among the engineers but in reality its not bound only with the lead but has rules for certain other chemicals as well. 

The list of chemicals on which this regulation works are as follows:

• Lead (Pb)
• Mercury (Hg)
• Cadmium (Cd)
• Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+)
• Polybrominated Biphenyls (PBB)
• Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDE)
• Bis(2-Ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP)
• Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)
• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP)
• Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)

All follow the limitation of a maximum of 0.1%

The directive has been taken to be much more than only Lead Directive as for some electronic industries the product without Lead stays to be RoHS Complaint in nature. However, not all chemicals in the list are RoHS Complaint in nature.

LDR or Light Dependent Resistor that we often use in our projects is one of those simple components that are not RoHS compliant. As we all know, the functionality of LDR to be triggering certain function on detection of light, it uses Cadmium Sulphide(CdS) in it. Cadmium Sulphide although falls in the RoHS list but is excepted due to some military or medical grounds and thus has been introduced in the commercial products.

These sets of rules greatly affect the manufacturing companies of electronic goods as these rules have direct connections to customer rights and market values. When an electronic manufacturing company starts, it first meets the need of the market and manufactures a product according to it. It then selects a small target market and maps the success and demand rate of the product. Now as it aims for the bigger market, the legislation intervenes and these rules come to be addressed to. These products are generally small electronic components that are used in other bigger electronic systems.

Thus, the main problem arrives for the companies, when the product such as LDR does not have any such immediate alternative that can be manufactured. The work becomes all the more difficult for the one designing the electronic system using the following component as they now have to design a full circuit satisfying the Ross rules to validate that particular functionality.

For example, in place of LDR, the photodiode can be used as reverse biased along with a resistor. Even after this method, the alternate circuit made in place of the product often turns out to be not as effective as the product itself. It also hampers the manufacturing process, as well as more time and work, is invested in that. 

After the Ross complaint filter is passed, the product goes through another set of filtering before getting launched in the market. This set of filtering rules is termed to be as REACH which stands for Registration Evaluation Authorization and restriction of Chemicals. REACH has a list of around 200 chemicals that it restricts from being used in the product. This rule is strictly issued on companies that transact over 1 tonne of chemicals per year for their work. This list of chemicals is termed as SVHC that is, Substance of Very High Concern.

The stage of distributors strictly follows the rule of REACH and thus even after passing the Ross restrictions, the product may get stopped by these sets of rules. These sets of chemicals are a concern that needs to look after as even if these chemicals do not seem to be harmful on the first go, but are seen to be turning toxic and harmful under recycling. Thus, the rules of REACH are the ones that need to be followed as well.

Electronic systems formed concerning the food industry strictly need to follow these rules as they are the ones that are directly connected to the health concerns of the customers and as well do not have proper medical supervision in the industry. 

Proper documentation is provided once the product or component satisfies all these requirements and thus it officially becomes usable for commercial purposes. This documentation or certification is important, as they can be asked for in any level of survey and even by the customer. The company in that case always stays liable to provide the certification under public interest.

The testing of chemicals while manufacturing the product is also an important measure that needs to be followed. Companies guiding in this matter of testing procedures are already present and one can consult them for the need.

It is better to be always dealing with the rules. Saving a few amounts of money while initializing the manufacturing house by avoiding these rules can cost the whole product after getting launched in the market. Being cheap is not always helpful for the production process in the long run.

Contact the Sigma Team For Any Inquiry

Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org

Call on this number +91-9560222333,  Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

What is Automotive Life Cycle Testing?

The life cycle is a term that defines change from one form to another that happens sequentially. Every entity goes through a life cycle from its origin to its demise. Similarly, the software is also an entity with a development life cycle called the software development life cycle (SDLC). Just as if the development of Life cycle testing or software automotive life cycle testing (SATLC) is a process of testing that consists of several specific testing procedures to be executed in a definite sequence to ensure a set quality standard of a product or software. There are many companies, which specifically provide life cycle testing services.

Every organization has its different phases of the Software automotive life cycle testing, but the basis is of every life cycle testing remains the same. Eight phases of life cycle testing are as follows:

1. Requirement phase:

The scope of the testing is analysed in this phase of life cycle testing. A group of experts sit together and study all the requirements, later they conduct brainstorm sessions to discuss whether the software requirements are testable or not. If any requirement is not testable, it is communicated to develop a more refined strategy.

2. Planning phase:

In this phase, the actual planning for testing is done after the experts are done analysing requirements. The procedures, techniques, resources, metrics that would help to meet the objectives are identified to execute an efficient testing life cycle. Planning is done keeping in mind the factors like organization test strategy and risk analysis.

3. Analysis phase:

This is a very important phase of product life cycle testing. Test conditions to be put are identified in this phase with the help of requirement document and product risk analysis. A test condition must trace back to the requirement. Different factors like levels of testing, depth of testing, product complexity, project risks, test management, SDLC, and availability of stockholders affects the identification of test conditions.

4. Design phase:

This is the “HOW” phasing of the automotive life cycle testing. This phase determines the practical execution process aspects of the testing life cycle. Processes like breaking down test conditions into easily executable multiple small sub test conditions, identification and gathering of test data, identification and setting up of test environment, creation of traceability matrices, and test coverage metrics are ensured in this phase of the testing life cycle.

5. Implementation phase:

The major process involved in this phase of the software testing life cycle is to ensure the creation of detailed test cases. Priority test cases that will become the part of the regression suite are also identified in this phase along with the review of test cases to ensure that test cases are correct.

6. Execution phase:

The name of this phase is self-explanatory. In this phase, the actual execution of test cases takes place. It is made sure that the entry criterion is met before the start of execution. The output of these tests determines whether the software qualifies all the test conditions. Test cases are executed and the defects raised are logged in case of any discrepancy. Traceability matrix developed bits of help in tracking the progress of the software testing life cycle.

7. Conclusion phase

Exit criteria and reporting are the focus areas of this phase of the software testing life cycle. A daily or weekly report is sent depending upon the project and stakeholders’ choice. Daily status reports and weekly status reports are depending upon the requirements of the product life cycle testing. The content of these reports focuses on the person to whom the report is sent. If the report is sent to the project manager, he is more likely to be interested in the technical aspects of the report whereas if the report is sent to stakeholders, he is more likely to be interested in the risk aspects.

8. Closure phase:

A task like completion of the test check, check that there are no open severity 1 defects, or the check that all the tests are executed and mitigated deliberately are part of this phase of the testing life cycle. In addition, the aspects and insight report on what was good about the Software testing life cycle and what could be improved about it are created in this phase of the testing life cycle.

Vibration Testing Lab:- Sigma Test and Research Centre

ABOUT SIGMA TEST AND RESEARCH CENTRE

Established in 2009, Sigma Test and Research Centre delivers a comprehensive suite of accurate and thorough testing and calibration services to a varied range of industries worldwide. Technocrat educators, with 30+ years of experience in education, administration, manufacturing, and marketing, set up the lab.

They offer leading services to help their clients maintain equilibrium between quality, profitability, and sustainability. They rely on a systematic approach and expertise to manage the glitches in the market, supply chain management, and regulatory measures. 

Sigma has its headquarters in New Delhi, India. Their crucial role lies in ensuring their clients of quality control & assessment of the products. Hence, they have created amenities as per international values pleasing the necessities of ILAC, ASTM, ISO, USP, BP, and NABL. 

Sigma is a one-point stop for testing a comprehensive range of products used in Chemical, Biological, Mechanical, Non-Destructive, Electrical, and Electronics industries. They also provide excellent calibration services for various instruments in their laboratories. 

Sigma Test and Research Centre have a talented team of experts & knowledgeable governing bodies, state-of-the-art management, keen & multi-discipline professionals, sponsored by the most sophisticated high accuracy measuring instruments and computerized data management. 

MISSION OF SIGMA

Their mission is to provide out-of-the-box and brilliant amenities through analytical procedures and methodologies, that help organizations and industries, small or large, to attain predictably, improved, cost-effective product quality levels while sustaining the integrity in testing procedures. 

VIBRATION OR SHOCK TESTING

Vibration Testing impersonates the circumstances of a product or a structure that they might see during their lifetime while under a testing environment. Envisioned to certify that products are robust and perform safely during their transit, vibration testing spots performance issues and potential failures before they begin.  

It’s generally distinguished based on mechanical shock testing and its application for different periods which may vary from a few minutes to weeks. 

Furthermore, to produce a defined vibration, they use electromagnetic vibration exciters/shakers. It helps convert the electric signals into mechanical movements that are further controlled to uphold the vibration force or its level as per specified norms.

WHY VIBRATION TESTING?   

Vibration tests are done on various equipment’s, but yes, there are lots of reason behind the application of its analysis. The foremost reasons include-

• Rather than the definite vibration level, the response to the vibration force is recorded to determine the dynamic properties of the objects. So, they try their best to find out the aptitude of those objects to transmit the vibration and its modes at resonance.
• Moreover, at a prearranged vibration level, the vibration test is obligatory to associate the transducers to be calibrated and the reference transducer.  

PURPOSE BEHIND VIBRATION TESTING

The tests are carried out with exceptionally severe vibration level, ever recorded. The core purpose behind this is to determine the stimulated life of the product by performing the test for hours, days, and even weeks. 

Such severe tests include Highly Accelerated Life Tests (HALT) and Environmental Stress Screening (ESS), which helps in reporting the units that make sure the rigidity of the product to the customer, once the product lasts the test without losing its anticipated remaining life. 

APPLICATIONS OF VIBRATION TESTING

FREQUENCY RANGE- For objects that incite in the shipping environment, the frequency of the test stays between 5Hz and 3kHz. It’s because of some products that are exposed to higher vibration levels during transportation.

ONE AXIS- Vibration tests are generally performed one axis at a time rather than in all the three axes. Exciters used for the test are made to shake the product within the vertical direction and to hide the complete axis; the object is rotated to apply vibration in all the directions.

FOR LARGE SAMPLES- Considering the larger samples, they are shocked horizontally instead of vertically because of some functional reasons. In this case, the slip table consists of an enormous metal plate, which helps keep the weight down, a large granite block, and endlessly pumps lubricating oil.

RESONANCE- The vibration response, which is higher than the vibration input, is known as resonance. To look for resonance and perform the tests with substantial resonance frequency, preliminary sine sweeps, or random tests takes place.

AEROSPACE ELEMENTS- Ordinarily, aerospace components face challenges like temperature, volatile weather conditions, atmospheric pressure, or heavy loads issues. Due to these issues, is why dynamic measurement application count analysis, ground vibration tests, and acoustic tests, ranging from the analysis of the products to large channels.

AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY- The manufacturers of the automobile, industries are under the constant pressure of producing long-lasting automobiles, and vehicles with well-managed NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) qualities. Consequently, the appliance of the vibration tests varies from acoustic, rotational, and structural testing. 

Sigma’s qualified engineers guarantee the quality of the standard of the product by tendering a varied range of vibration and shock testing. Having years of experience and knowledge, Sigma can help you determine the best designs for your products and their reliabilities. 

If you wish to know more about Sigma Laboratory or Vibration Testing, you can visit their official website- Sigmatest or you can contact them on- +91-9560222333. You can also visit Sigma’s Regd. Office at- 99, Phase 2, Badli Industrial Area, New Delhi-110042.  

How Construction Materials Testing Helps Save Costs

In the Construction industry, your business reputation gets built on the quality of your work. The better the quality, the more renowned are your structures and that's how your brand name picks fame. Besides perhaps just for the reputation, quality output builds for you, construction material testing (CMT) is a critical process that helps you as a construction company to decide and plan. In delivering reliable and superior quality construction, companies need to abide by several legal and environmental compliance, which require optimal CMT.

Testing Quality of Construction Material & their Composition

Given the relevance and importance of the quality of construction materials, constructed companies deploy CMT for almost all of their raw building materials. Right from the testing the soil quality of the construction site, CMT also evaluates the quality of steel TMT bars, Aluminium, Cement, Concrete, Bricks, Aggregates, Admixture, Flyash, Masonry, Wood, Tiles, etc. Testing of cm helps ascertain the quality and strength of the final construction intended so that there is nothing untoward that results later on. Besides, optimized CMT also helps construction companies save costs.

Cost Savings by deploying Construction Material Testing

Let us understand how construction material testing not only serves the obvious purpose of meeting compliances and regulatory requirements but also helps in saving costs.

Testing Quality of raw construction materials assures Quality of Final Product

Industry uses several raw materials for construction purposes. In the absence of quality testing of the intended raw materials, the final constructed product could be compromised in quality or could even fail stress tests. This could be a loss-making proposition for construction companies. This would result in expensive rework and repairs, which adds to your costs. When you test raw construction materials, it gives you assurance about the quality of the final construction. This reduces or eliminates chances of repairs, which otherwise can be quite costly. It is therefore recommended to routinely deploy construction material testing not only to give you superior quality constructions but at the same time save costs substantially, as compared to those who don't.

Construction Material Testing reduces the risk of hazard to human life

The most important outcome of CMT is that testing procedure of cement testing, aggregate testing, steel bars testing, etc. help in determining the post-construction strength of an intended structure. The test results derived from such CMT gives confidence and assurance to the construction companies about the quality of their final constructions, which typically aims at eliminating hazards and risk to human life. When requisite building material testing hasn't happened then there could be possibilities of the collapse of constructions made well before their estimated lifetime. This can pose to be hazardous to human life, besides causing other losses, which can result in heaving penalties to the construction company. Hence, timely CMT processes help you save on unnecessary costs.

Consistent CMT procedures help maintain optimal inventory

Construction companies that deploy consistent CMT procedures are aware of their cm quality, well in advance of commencing. In this way, they can forecast material requirements and stock their inventory adequately without having to be reactive to upcoming phases. Such optimal inventory management helps construction companies save enormously on costs. Also, the lack of repairs/rework ensures your inventory is run optimally without adding sudden and ad-hoc expenses, thereby saving you unexpected costs.

The industry is a big sector and is responsible for the several constructions, we see and live in. They must ensure quality construction so that their customers are assured of safety and quality living. To be able to give your customers quality assurance, Sigma Test and Research Centre, a NABL accredited laboratory as per ISO 17025:2005, ISO 14001:2004 offers an extensive range of building material tests, analysing the quality of building materials, testing on soils, rocks, aggregates, concrete, bricks-blocks, steel, and polymers. Connect with our team of cm technicians and engineers, who will advise you and create customized constructed material testing programs for your company.

Contact Sigma Test and Research Centre 

 Contact us at +91 - 9560222333

 Visit Our Website https://www.sigmatest.org

How to Reduce Segregation in Concrete?

In this article, we will be discussing segregation, factors causing it, and different methods to avoid it. So, now the question arises what is segregation?

The segregation of concrete is the failure of newly mixed concrete. Segregation is a term when the particles which are present in concrete, cement, sand, and their aggregates get separated from each other during handling and placement. It is usually caused by excessive vibration of cement

In concrete technology, segregation is of three types:-

Separation of Coarse aggregate from the concrete mixture,
Separation of Cement paste from the concrete during the plastic stage
Separation of water from the concrete mix (Which is also called as Bleeding in concrete)

Some other factors causing segregation in concrete are:

Transporting concrete mixtures for long distances.
The poorly proportioned mixture, where the adequate matrix is not there to tie up the aggregates.
Dropping concrete from more than 1m high can cause segregation.
Vibrating the concrete for a long time can cause segregation.

To reduce segregation in concrete the workers need to follow these measures :

The concrete water-cement ratio must be in the limit.
The freshly prepared concrete mixture should not be too wet nor too dry.
Do not place the concrete to its desired area from an elevated height.
Concrete transportation should be done properly.
Select the shortest route for the transportation of the concrete mix.
The vibrator should be used in concrete for the proper time, neither too long nor too short span of time.
The form work must not be loose.
Do not vibrate the form work.
Do not allow concrete to flow.

Contact the Sigma Team For Any Inquiry
Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org
Call on this number +91-9560222333,
Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Non- Destructive Testing

What Is Non-destructive Testing? 

Non-destructive testing (NDT) also known as ‘positive testing’.

As its name implies, non-destructive testing means testing of materials without destroying them.

It is a kind of a testing approach in which the testing is performed to cover only the positive cases to confirm that the software behaves properly and returns the expected results as per the product requirement. It is one of the best courses to do if you want to get a high profile job in abroad or India in oil & gas, petroleum, aircraft, refinery, etc. It is commonly used in the area of aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, system engineering, and medicines.

EXAMPLES OF DESTRUCTIVE TEST:

• Tensile test
• Compression test
• Shear test
• Hardness test
• Impact test
• Fatigue test
• Bending test
• Creep test
• Torsion test
• Chemical test, etc.

  IMPORTANCE OD NDT:

• Save both time and money in product evaluation.
• It can be used to detect flaws in an in-process machine part.
• No requirements for special equipment

BASIC ELEMENTS OF NDT: 

• Source 
• Modification 
• Detection 
• Indication 
• Interpretation  

SOME OF THE METHODS OF NDT:

Visual Testing:

Advantages:

• Generally fast test time
• Can be automated
• Good at finding dimensional flaws or surface blemishes
• Portable

Disadvantages:

• Reference standards required
• May require multiple cameras and viewing angles for automated systems
• Subject to operator interpretation if not automated
• Dye Penetrant Testing (DPT):

Advantages:

• Non-destructive testing of concrete helps in detecting the surface cracks or defects.
• One of the most widely used NDT testing methods.
• It is used for surface detection of casting, weld elements.
• It is also called liquid penetrant testing.

Disadvantages:

• The defect must be open to the surface
• Parts must be cleaned before and after testing
• Surface films, such as coatings, scale, and smeared metal may visually mask defects
• Magnetic Particle Testing (MPT):

Advantages:

•  Economically and easy to perform.
•  Portable for field testing.
•  Fast for production testing.
•  Relatively simple method.
•    Low cost.

Disadvantages:

• Ferromagnetic materials only
• Alignment of the magnetic field is critical
• Demagnetization required after the test
• Surface coatings can mask defects
• Pre- and post-cleaning necessary
• Messy
• Subjective: dependent on operator interpretation
• Difficult to automate
• Ultrasonic Testing (UT):

Advantages

• It is an electronic device that can produce high-frequency ultrasonic energy.
• It introduced and propagates through the materials in the form of waves.
• Portable.
• Instant test results don’t take too much time.
• It is fully capable of being automated.
•        A probe is used.
• Immediate results.

Disadvantages:

• Couplant required
• Complex or small parts may be difficult to check
• The defect may be missed if not in the path of the ultrasonic signal
• Reference standards required
• Trained operators for manual inspections
• Special probes
• Surface condition
• Eddy Current Testing (ECT):

Advantages:

•      Equipment is very portable.
•      Detect surface and near-surface defects.
•      Deep penetration is limited.
•      High speed.
•      Low cost.

Disadvantages:

• Conductive material only.
• Shallow depth of penetration.
• Surface roughness may affect test quality.
• Radiography Testing (RT):

Advantages: 

• It is having a fast method of testing.
• It is the same as medical radiography, which only differs in wavelength.
• Lessor no manual work.

Disadvantages: 

• Radiation hazard.
• Expensive.
• Trained operators needed.
• Linear defects may be missed.
• Depth of defect not indicated.

MAIN OBJECTIVE OF NDT:

1. To detect internal or surface flaws.
2. To measure the dimensions of the specimen.
3. To determine material structure or chemistry.
4. To evaluate the material’s physical or mechanical properties.

ADVANTAGES OF NDT:

• The equipment is easy to handle.
• The data is more recordable and more repeatable.
• Methods are quick and accurate.
• Defects can be detected without damaging the components. 
• It can be done on small instances of the code to confirm it is ready to be merged into the main code, thus reducing the chances of it breaking the code.
• No extra tools or equipment are required to do NDT.
• Less Skill and non-expensive.
• It is used for finding out the defects.
• The Specimen is not damaged during testing.
• It provides reliability.
• Harmless to humans.

 DISADVANTAGES OF NDT:

• Purchase costs may be preventative, so renting can be a preferable option.
• Due to load applications, the material gets damaged. Sometimes there might be a lack of depth sizing 
• On some non-destructive test methods, only relatively heavy surfaces can be inspected. 
• Some test methods require electricity.
• Some can also be affected by variations in magnetic permeability. 
• Some tests are only effective in conductive materials.
• The methods take time and rarely be finished in less than 30 minutes.
• Components needing to be cleaned before and after inspection.

APPLICATIONS OF NDT

• To ensure product reliability
• To control the manufacturing process
• To lower production cost.
• Inspection of raw products i.e. forgings, castings, extrusions, etc.  

WHERE TO USE NDT:

• In product evaluation.
• For troubleshooting
• For identifying areas of wear
• For assuring the safety and reliability of structures and component
• To find flaws or irregularities both on and under the surface of materials.

NDT is used in many industries, including:

• Engineering
• Air
• Space
• Rail
• Motor vehicles
• Utilities
• Power and energy companies
• Construction

CONCLUSION:

Non Destructive Testing provides cost-effective and reliable analysis under realistic conditions. Each NDT Testing services has certain capabilities and limitations and often more than one technique is used to cover various parts. Increasing the availability of robotic scanners improve the speed of testing large surfaces, hence minimizing the testing time.

Contact the Sigma Team 

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Call on this number +91-9560222333 

Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

5 Benefits of Steel Testing

Steel Test refers to the test which begins with the help of a diamond pyramid. The diamond pyramid is pressed into the steel at a pre-specified load. This diamond pyramid measures the hardness and the level of hardness steel gets verified. This verified steel is used for different purposes.

Tensile tests can be done at different temperatures because of brittleness increases as temperature fall. There are many other tests that can be used to check steel's material property, such as wear test for nails, drivability test for wire and bending test for the wire.

Tensile tests provide better information about the test material and thus help keep up the material quality. They also help with the development of new materials. These tests provide information about the mechanical properties of the material. The results of the tests help the material suppliers understand the material quality. The results also help with certification purposes.

Steel Tensile Test

Tensile Test is performed on mild steel and high tensile steel to determine it's different properties. In a tensile test, a steel rod is messed to tension load by the means of UTM. A steel tensile test is done in a steel tensile laboratory. There are many steel tensile services that are done in different industries like in the automobile industry steel is used in different vehicles.

Steel Testing Laboratories

Under steel testing laboratories many different types of tests are performed. Some are:-

Brand

Elongation

Ultimate Tensile Strength

0.2% Proof Stress

Steel Testing Lab Services

Steel Testing Laboratories are safe, reliable and they meet rigorous regulatory standards. Testing lab services include-

Chemical composition analysis

Corrosion resistance analysis

Dimension measurements

Mechanical properties

Metallurgic examination

Macro-etching

Micro structure analysis

Non-destructive

Weather resistance

Tension

Bend

Radiation inspection

Hardness

Transverse

Spheroidal graphite analysis

Impact

Coating mass

The roughness of surface measure

Salt spray

Pencil hardness

Crosscut

Flattening

Flaring resistance

Steel strand

Deformed bar

Fastener

Fatigue

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis using Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS)

Railway product

These are some of the services that are performed by these steel testing labs and are very famous.

5 Benefits of Steel Testing

The manufacturing industry is one with extremely high demands, including peak efficiency from machines and equipment. Tensile Testing provides data on the integrity and safety of materials, components, and products. There are many different types of tensile testing like adhesion/bond strength, peel, tear-resistance, and crimp-joint pull-off the force.

Tensile testing enables the manufacturers to ensure that their finished products are ready for use and are of good quality.

Some of the benefits of Tensile Testing are: -

Ensure Quality products are delivered.

The first and foremost benefit of tensile testing is ensuring that a quality product is delivered to customers. Tensile Testing ensures that any material must meet some quality standards so that there might not be any future consequences regarding the quality of the product.

Opportunity to identify alloys and their applications.

Another important benefit of tensile testing is getting the opportunity to identify new alloys and find out their different applications. Tensile Testing can help manufacturers to know which qualities metals have. This test can help manufacturers to look out for improved materials.

Reduce Material Costs.

Tensile Testing can help in reducing material costs as the manufacturer knows which metal is best and which is worst. So, he doesn't have to check the quality of each and every material, these qualities are already checked and verified using this test. So, this test can be cost-cutter for any industry.

Meet International and Industry Standards.

Tensile Test works on international and industry standards. So, if any metal is verified then the international and industry standards are already met.

Checking Metal Strength.

The material strength obtained by tensile tests has important application value for design and material selection, development of new material, safety, and evaluation of equipment, and all these things are directly based on the results of tensile tests.

These are some of the benefits that are availed by this steel tensile test and can help any manufacturer to be benefited easily.

Contact Sigma Test and Research Centre which the Best Steel Testing Laboratory in India. They have highly professional testers as well as use up-to-date equipment for the same. Contact us at +91- 9560222333 or Visit our Website https://www.sigmatest.org.

Benefits of Automotive Testing Services

Automotive Testing Services puts full vehicles, systems, and components through a series of laboratories. With virtual and real-world assessments, automotive services ensure it is safe, reliable, and compliant with safety regulations. The automotive testing system is the requirement for accessing the global automotive market and manufacturers must show they have put their product through a rigorous assessment. 

Automotive testing covers a wide range of vehicle features. Some of the features are to buzz, squeak and rattle tests, crash simulations, and extensive automotive electronics testing.

Benefits of Automotive Testing

1. Reusability- The scripts used in automotive testing are reusable.  We do not need new scripts all the time, even if the version of the OS on the device changes. The automotive testing laboratory allows us to redo the exact same test, without leaving any steps.
2. Bugs- Automotive testing services help in finding bugs in the early stages of software development, reducing expenses, and working hours to fix these problems as well.
3. Reliability- Automotive Testing is more reliable and much quicker when running boring repetitive standardized tests that cannot be skipped. However, the automotive testing system may cause errors when manually tested.
4. Simultaneity- We can test more devices simultaneously resulting in comparative detailed reports generated in less time with the exact same parameters. This is because the exact same scripts were run.
5. Continuity- It helps testers, such as automation engineers. However, they can see exactly what other engineers have done, what scripts he has already written, etc.
6. Additional methods- One of these methods is the stress test in which the capacities of the application and operational infrastructure will be tested to limit with stress, this cannot be done manually.
7. Volume- Automotive testing allows running tests on thousands of mobile devices. Testing all of them may be impossible.
8. ROI- This may hold back for many. However, it is proven that the return of the investment is long-term and will also save time.
9. Running Tests 24/7- No matter where we are in the world. We can start tests when we leave the office and we can see the result.
10. Fewer human resources- We do not need many people. We can test automation engineers to write your scripts to automate your tests.  Unlikely many people doing boring manual tests repeatedly. 

Why Automotive Testing Is Important?

Working for multi-year development automotive development, timeframes and suppliers will need to test and validate across the full life cycle. The problems faced by the industry include the increase of complexity, long test cycles. Below are the key trends and importance of the automotive testing system.

Automotive Testing services offer various benefits, including:

• Regulatory compliance- Global market access requires automotive component testing and relevant global regulations to ensure overall safety.
• Early discovery of faults- Automotive component testing helps to discover the faults in the development phase. Therefore, this avoids expensive product recalls and saves you money.
• Boost brand reputation- testing your product can iron out faults and this will enhance the reputation as a provider of quality vehicles.

Conclusion:

In the end, we will have better quality software, which will be released earlier. With fewer problems and fewer resources used. 

However, there is usually always a downside to everything. Therefore, there are downsides to automotive testing as well.

 There are a few disadvantages of automotive testing: 

The automotive testing system will not fix the specific problems that users may have. Whenever there are, writing and testing of the scripts there are just some scenarios that are being tested, not all of them. The main purpose of automotive testing is to find bugs in simple operations.

For example- Login into the app; create a new account; send an email when the password is forgotten. This is what the testing does. 

Some of the automotive industry testings are vibration testing, climatic testing, and mechanical testing.

1. Vibration testing- Vibration and shock might have profound effects on a vehicle’s long-term performance and reliability. This type of testing requires powerful tools.
2. Climatic testing- The average of the vehicle is exposed to a diverse set of environmental conditions over the course of its life. This type of test is done to check how vehicles are going to perform to extreme temperatures, humidity, and other conditions.
3. Mechanical testing- Mechanical testing is used for automotive engines and other components.

Contact the Sigma Team 

Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

Call on this number +91-9560222333 

Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

PPE Suppliers Are Providing Inauthentic Certificates to Buyers, Here Is How You Can Verify Them.

COVID-19 has led to an increase in the demand for personal protective equipment (PPEs) in the country. This has led to the provision of inauthentic and fraudulent certificates provided by PPE suppliers to purchasers, including government procurement agencies.

According to accrediting agencies and market sources, this course of action has put the frontline healthcare workers’ lives at risk.

The Indian market is full of private certification bodies which issue fake certificates to industries. It is difficult yet important to distinguish an authentic certificate from the inauthentic and fake ones.

‘The quality of PPE is at Centre stage now. The union health ministry has also specified standards and reports acceptable from national and international organizations and labs which has led to all kinds of certificates in the market, most of them inauthentic and some may even be fraudulent,’ says Anil Jauhri, former CEO, National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB).

How can we verify an authentic certificate?

There are certificates for CE mark and ISO standards. While notified bodies (NB) of European Commission (EC) can only issue CE certificates, ISO certificates are those which come from duly accredited CBs and carry the logo of the accreditation body (AB) under the prevailing international system.

As Mr Jauhri conveyed, ISO is only a standard-setting body and does not undertake any certification. Hence, the use of an ISO logo in any form on a certificate is a misuse and shows inauthenticity.

In India, certification bodies should be accredited by NABCB for undertaking certification as per ISO 13485, an international standard for quality management systems (QMS) in medical devices, also accepted by many regulators around the world.

NABCB under Quality Council of India (QCI) is the national accreditation body in India. Any certificate bearing NABCB logo should be acceptable because it indicates the issuing of a certificate by a competent and recognized body.

‘It may also be noted that the CE mark is Europe’s regulatory mark and in case of PPEs, EC has a separate regulation under which Notified Bodies are designated only in Europe. There may be some branches or associates of NBs in India, but any certificate must be from the NB listed in the European Commission database,’ he further informed.

Click here to view the list of Notified bodies under EC.

The total projected demand of PPE kits till June 2020 stands at an estimate of Rs. 2.01 crore. Around 107 PPE manufacturers have raised their daily production to about 1.87 lakh PPE kits.

As per norms, an authentic certificate should contain:

Name and address of the organization certified

Scope of certification describing its activities like production, packing and sale of PPEs like coveralls, shoe covers and more

Standard (or sometimes scheme or regulation) against which certification is granted like ISO 9001 or ISO 13485 (standard)

Date of issue and expiry of the certificate

Unique identification number of the certificate

Name and address of the CB

Logo of the CB

Accreditation a symbol indicating the name of the accreditation body (AB)

How do you verify a certificate in exceptional circumstances?

In most countries, with the absence of a law requiring Certification Bodies to register, accreditation is the only way to recognize a competent and authentic certificate.

The International Accreditation Forum Mark (IAF) is an optional standard which shows the certificate is covered under the Multilateral Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MLA) of the IAF, hence, making it internationally equivalent and acceptable in the market.

Further, to judge the authenticity, one can see the names of member Accreditation Bodies of IAF on its website which also gives information on which accreditation bodies are signatories to IAF.

Once the user locates the AB in a country, he/she can visit the AB and IAF website to verify if it accredits the Certification Body. Here on, they can verify the certificate because as per international norms, CBs must help verify certificates issued by them.

The pandemic has led to a rise in these fraudulent certifications by unregistered Certification bodies. The current scenario mandates the verification of these certificates to ensure authenticity. One can undertake these measures to distinguish verified suppliers and work with them.

Contact the Sigma Team 

Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

Call on this number +91-9560222333 

Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

ANSI Standards-What are They?

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit agency that promotes and enhances the domestic and foreign effects of the U.S. universal norms and compliance appraisal framework.

Nationally or internationally, ANSI aims to enhance global competitiveness and quality of life of US companies by offering a basis for and safeguarding their reputation in the production of equal expectations and compliance measurement systems. The Institute encompasses almost all sectors and serves the diverse desires of over 270,000 businesses and associations, as well as 30 million people worldwide.

History of ANSI:

ANSI is a non-profit, corporate association, funded by a broad variety of private and public sector organizations, established in 1918 by five engineering societies and three governments. About 1400 businesses, organizations, departments, administrative and external participants are covered by ANSI. The mission of ANSI is to support the US economy to stay successful on the global market and to maintain health and protection for customers by maintaining the sustainability of the community. All sectors, from the farms to manufacturing, are protected by ANSI requirements and guidelines.

National Standard Activity:

Ask most people regarding ANSI and the chances of learning regarding standards growth are high. We are all referring to 'ANSI guidelines,' which lets us think that ANSI is currently evolving norms. Nonetheless, ANSI accredits several various creators, including electrical technology associates such as NFPA, UL, and IEEE. The developer calls their final Standard an American National Standard (ANS) by being an approved developer and adopting the procedures established by ANSI.

Developers aren't carelessly authorized. A collection of normal programming protocols for ANSI must be sent for each developer wishing to be approved as ANSI.

Such processes shall conform to the core values of transparency, consent and fair process of ANSI. The system must also be checked at least once every five years with its policies and processes. The audit aims to confirm conformity with the accreditation standards and to check that developers' processes and procedures continue to conform to their approved procedures and current ANSI specifications.

Why is it necessary to determine an American National Standard?

It is the framework holding the set of norms focused in the private sector. We are likely to see more regulatory influence over a uniform program and less acceptability around the country without a mechanism like the one given by ANSI. Organizations of competency (inspectors, building departments, etc.), federal and municipal entities and customers define and enforce requirements that are known as ANS. Departments have authority. Through the usage of established guidelines, they will guarantee that the norm has been implemented into a transparent framework of consent so that those impacted by the norm have sufficient opportunities to engage so respond.

Standards are usually released as ANS in three ways: committee, association and canvass.

• ASC method (Accredited Standards Committee):

The approaches used by developers who choose to establish an approved professional group to carry out the specific research are the Accredited Standards Committee. The National Code of Electric Protection is established for instance by ASC C2. The technology support agency is IEEE which oversees the C2 committee's mechanism which activities.

• Organization method:

Organizations who want to create a series of approaches tailored to their operational requirements use the operational approach. The methods still conform with but are usually more detailed, the ANSI protocol and the recommendations. For examples, in the sense of ANSI, the NFPA establishes the National Electrical Code.

• Canvass method:

Abroad variety of developers use the development of the Canvass Method of specifications. The ANSI processes define several specific criteria for this system. Through this process, a panorama list is drawn up of concerned parties and this body checks the existing norm. This approach is used by UL, NEMA, ARI, and several others.

Conclusion:

In short, in the US uniform framework, the function of ANSI is irreplaceable. The position ANSI played and helped by active involvement in the standard method and in the future decision of the path that ANSI follows must be understood by any person in the electrical industry, including auditor, contractor, supplier, builder, etc.

Standards Behaviour is one of the major ANSI publications. This is created twice a week which demonstrates which criteria are now being implemented which established for public inspection. Action Specifications on the ANSI platform are eligible. For those interested with the US codes and standards program, ANSI’s official website might help you. 

Contact the Sigma Team 

Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

Call on this number +91-9560222333 

Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

Why is Nutritional Analysis Important?

Food is the fuel the body needs to replenish itself with. Each civilization has given profound importance to food type and consumption pattern.

Hence, it can be easily assumed that food has the power to influence the bodily metabolism and organ health directly. After ingestion, food is digested through our gut with the help of various digestive juices and ends in being absorbed in bloodstreams as different types of biomolecules which are known as Nutrients.

If food is the reason, Nutrition is the result. We consume food so that we can obtain proper nutrition.

Nutrition is the process by which important beneficial biomolecules or Nutrients, after reaching their destination within the body positively helps in functioning, maintaining or improving important bio metabolisms like building muscles, producing energy, thriving body cells, improving body health, replenish malnourishment, and strengthening immunity.

Theses Nutrients are of two types. 1. Macronutrients 2. Micronutrients. The next chart is an overall idea about the different types of nutrients and their functions.

Macronutrients

Bodily Function

Carbohydrate

Energy production

Protein

Muscle Development and Cell Proliferation

Fat

Energy production, storage energy

Micronutrients

Bodily Function

Vitamins

Hormone production, Hormonal balance maintenance, Bone development and density maintenance, Eyesight development and maintenance, Reproductive organ health maintenance, Immunity boosting etc.

Minerals

Electrolyte equilibrium maintenance, Helping in energy production, Muscle work, Brain development, Nervous functions etc.

Now that we have understood the importance of food, nutrition and nutrients, and their major functions in our body, let us further focus the lights onto the matter about what is the Nutritional Analysis and why it is of such utmost importance.

Nutritional The analysis is the scientifically set stepwise process of assessing the types, amount and nature of nutrients available in a given food sample. In India, Nutritional Analysis Methods are standardized and set by FSSAI.

The importance of nutritional analysis has several spectrums. There are as follows:

Food components:

 Food Nutrition Analysis helps in the detailed and perfect determination of the     component nutrients present in any food item.

• Food components have vast bio metabolic roles and could affect human health severely.
• If the consumer has a clear idea about the food component, he or she may choose or reject specific food items according to his or her health condition.
• As an example, khichdi is more beneficial than plain rice or roti alone in case a person is looking for low-cost supplementary food for protein-energy malnutrition. The combined protein sourced from rice and dal makes khichdi more nutritional and wholesome.
• Nutritional Analysis and comparison of ‘Khichdi’ with various other food items helped scientists in concluding this revolutionary easy way which is now an instrumental supplementary therapeutic dish in India’s master plan of fighting Protein Energy Malnutrition.

Nutritional value:

• Nutritional Analysis detects the exact nutritional value of any given food items.
• It determines the percentage of macro and micronutrients present in that food item as well as presence of inhibitors, toxic chemicals or any other new component.
• It is also important in nutrition mapping where a variety of food items are regularly being tested and included in the standardized book of Nutritive Value of Indian Foods by Indian Council of Medical Research.
• Presences of inhibitors, toxic chemicals in various foods are tested in food nutrition analysis. Inhibitors like phytate, oxalate decrease the bioavailability of nutrients and toxic chemicals like saponin, trypsin inhibitors, pathogens etc. cause mild to severe ailments in the human body.
• Food Nutrition Analysis by FSSAI has been instrumental in India’s nutrition mapping as there are vast varieties, numbers and types of crops, fruits and vegetables, fishes available throughout different part of India.

Vibration Testing of Automotive Parts Testing Laboratory in India

Car industries are one of India's fastest-growing industries. There is also a growing requirement for performance products. Disposal of automotive components not only jeopardizes life and assets but threatens the credibility of a company. There is no space for malfunctions in an increasingly dynamic sector; the device parts should work correctly to ensure safety throughout the life cycle of the vehicle. To increase product quality and cope with the request, URS launched automotive inspection facilities, by the National and International Protocol to provide credible and effective test facilities to esteemed customers. URS provides a full alternative for car experimentation, from electrical/mechanical security monitoring through environmental experimentation to ensuring that car goods are secure and reliable.

URS Products & Testing Lab is an advanced testing laboratory, integrated into the modern automotive, electronics, IT, audio-video, lighting, lighting, electrical domestic, components & equipment sections.

URS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES:

URS offers an automatic atmosphere monitoring alternatives for electrical and mechanical safety monitoring to guarantee that consumer performance criteria are verifiable. This includes distinct inspection atmosphere and parameters. Service for the environment on a look:

• Thermal Shock/Mechanical Shock
• Salt Spray Test
• Cold And Dry Heat Tests
• Damp Heat (Cyclic) Test
• Thermal Shock Test
• Dust Test
• IP Testing
• Thermal Aging
• Humidity Conditioning

VIBRATION TESTING

The Vibration Test reproduces Vibration Environment to expose and verify products in real-world vibration apps. The URS laboratory has a URS vibration test facility with 5 Hz–3200 Hz frequency range and 38 mm (p-p) displacement and 90 g acceleration of up to 1500kgf Sine, 1500kgf random and 3000kgf shock force rating. The system supported by a horizontal slip table and vertical load support can efficiently run x, y and z.

AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEM CERTIFICATION

The URS is the acknowledged Automotive Supply Chain Audit and Certification Certification Agency for IATF 16949 clients. URS has an auto history, lengthy and flexible auditing knowledge with IATF auditors.

• IATF 16949:2016 Internal Auditor Training
• ISO TS 16949 Certification
• Accreditation for Management Systems Certification.

ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS TESTING

Under the Electrical & Electronics Test Lab, URS Lab offers a full variety of exam equipment. Automotive testing is the validation method of parts and cars according to national and international requirements. Under the IEC / EN / IS / JIS / ISO / ASTM standards and customer specifications, URS is one of the best testers solutions for the electrics/electronics components.

• Lithium-ion Battery
• Electric motor
• Ageing Test
• Mobile Chargers used in Vehicles
• Music System used in Vehicles
• Amplifiers Used in Vehicles
• Sensors used in Vehicles
• Cameras used in Vehicles
• Display unit used in vehicles

Matrix Test Labs (MTL)

Matrix Test Labs is a leading supplier of electronics and electrical products testing. Matrix sample laboratories (MTL) are recognized by the Government of India, Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) as one of the best-in-class ISO / IEC 17025 NABL & BIS accredited sample labs on goods listed in CRS I, II & III under the "Requirements to Enrolment in Compulsory Goods" Regulations. MTL is a trained, devoted group of staff and has state-of-the-art customer service infrastructure.

Quality Objectives:

1. Operate and retain an internationally approved Quality System (ISO / IEC 17025).
2. Seek accreditation and increase the accreditation range as determined in an annual business plan.
3. Attain company objectives. Attain company objectives.
4. To create and improve business legitimacy, seriously track and behave on any client problems.
5. The leadership scheme strives to continuously enhance its efficiency by making use of possibilities such as inner audits, customer complaint review, and feedback, allowing for preventive measures where necessary, and assessing the quality of QMS results through planned leadership reviews.

AUTOMOTIVE TESTING SERVICES:

The car industry is one of India's fastest-growing industries. There is also a growing requirement for price and performance job in-car products. Dismissal of car components not only jeopardizes life and property; they also damage the excellent credibility of a company. There is no space for malfunction in an extremely dynamic sector; all device elements should work correctly to ensure security for the full lifespan of the car. MATRIX TEST LAB started automotive inspection facilities to deliver credible and cost-effective inspection facilities to esteemed customers, according to the national and international requirements, to enhance the product quality and cope with supply. Therefore, we offer car inspection facilities here at MATRIX TEST LAB Badli so that the car production is always in excellent shape and that businesses generate high-quality components.

The State-of-Art Testing Laboratory is an integrated state-of-the-art testing laboratory, integrated into modern technologies for the automotive, electronics, IT products, audio-video equipment.

MATRIX TEST LABS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES:

ENVIRONMENT TESTING

To guarantee that the item performance criteria can be checked, MATRIX TEST LAB offers automotive environmental tests alternatives to various test environments and parameters.

Environment service at a glance:

• Thermal Shock
• Salt Spray Test
• Cold Test
• Dry Heat Tests
• Damp Heat (Cyclic) Test
• Damp Heat (Steady state storage) Test
• Thermal Shock Test
• Dust Test
• IP Testing
• Thermal Ageing
• Humidity Conditioning

VIBRATION TESTING

In order to expose products in actual use vibration apps and verify the features of these products, vibration tests are performed to replicate vibration environments MATRIX TEST LAB have Vibrating plant with 5 Hz–3200 Hz, 38mm(p-p) expansion rates, 90 grams accelerated up to 1500 kg of Sinus, 1500kgf random and 3000 kg shock force rating. The scheme with inverted drop panel and vertical load-assist allows the efficient running of x, y and z directions.

ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS TESTING

MATRIX TEST LAB offers a full variety of Electrical & Electronics Test Lab screening equipment. Automotive testing is a validation method for parts and cars by national and international requirements. URS has IEC / EN / IS / JIS / ISO / ASTM Standards & Customer Specification specialized labs to evaluate components.

• Lithium-ion Battery
• Electric motor
• Ageing Test
• Mobile Chargers used in Vehicles
• Music System used in Vehicles
• Amplifiers Used in Vehicles
• Sensors used in Vehicles
• Cameras used in Vehicles
• Display unit used in vehicles

Truck Rear Axle Endurance Testing Services

Established as a test rig, material handling pallet, machine boxes and frames, a Canopy machine, hydraulic jackets, hydraulic cylinder, and Impulse fatigue testing machine, etc., in the year 2009, NB Technologies has achieved incomparable success. They also provide our customers with easy manufacturing services, testing services, calibration services, and pump repair services.

They are one of the industry's most prominent brands that offer endurance testing services to the truck rear axle. These credible facilities are provided by our skilled experts because of their feasibility and budget. The sophisticated technology-based machinery and instruments provide inspection facilities.

Matrix Test Labs Automotive Component Testing Service:

Matrix Test Labs are a trustworthy service provider who offers our clients testing services. These include: laptop and notebook safety testing, tablets safety testing services, LED lamp testing, Automotive testing service, CCTV camera testing service, BIS testing services, battery testing service, Electrical testing service. Material Testing Services BIS Certification services are also included. The services provided are conceptualized using a customer-driven approach to provide our employers with extreme pleasure. The wide range of services offered is delivered in obedience to the quality constraints of our very skilled experts in this particular field.

Product Description:

With the support of competent professionals, we are specialists in the testing of automotive parts. Due to their prompt closure, these facilities are extremely valued in the industry. Our experts make use of sophisticated technology to provide our services. The facilities offered are provided in various ways and conditions which fulfil customer requirements.

Global Environment and Mining Automobile Muffler Noise Testing Service:

Global Environment and Mining Services-Car Muffler Noise Testing Service Provider, business choices and strategic planning, engineering, research and experimental industries in Hospet, Karnataka.

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT & MINING SERVICES is designed by PROFESSIONALS with a powerful, extremely qualified mining engineering squad with more than twenty-seven years of expertise. It is also designed for fresh concepts. With a deeper dedication to safety, the environment and society, we hire an eager and skilled employees with distinctive abilities to rapidly set flawless standards for "friendly" sustainable growth mining operations.

SIGMA TEST & RESEARCH CENTRE Automotive Part Testing Service:

SIGMA TEST & RESEARCH CENTRE was created in 2009 in order to provide expertise in research facilities and to deliver an advanced and outstanding analytical method, by technocrat educators who has over 30 years ' expertise in teaching, administrative, production and advertising activities. In order to ensure full awareness of its position in performance command and performance power, SIGMA TEST & RESEARCH CENTRE has set up installations to meet the global standards of ILAC, ASTM, ISO, USP, BP, BIS & NABL. We continue to expand our ability to address a wide variety of norms.

MISSION:

The mission of SIGMA TEST & RESEARCH CENTRE is to deliver creative and outstanding analytical procedures, as well as methods that assist all types of sectors and organisations to accomplish a timely, better item performance, moment and costs, connected with inspection criteria for integrity.

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries 

 Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

 Call on this number +91-9560222333 

 Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

Why Msme Should Hire Professional Testing Laboratory for Testing Activities?

For every Businessman, their business is like their baby which makes it hard to compromise with any business aspect. To grow to hire right staff members is not enough, you need to come in contact with right contractors that can help you to work and focus on those things which neither you nor your staff members are efficient enough to do to make your business thrive. So, one can say business outsourcing for small and medium business has a lot of benefits.

What is Outsourcing Manufacturing?

Outsource refers to the hiring of people from the outside of the enterprise to assemble, built our the entire product. The main reason why companies choose outsourcing is to reduce its overall cost, labour is among the top factor in terms of cost.

Outsourcing in production companies to third parties leads to a great amount of decrease in production costs, which leads it to be more affordable that can have a comparative advantage than in-house production.

Most of the times outsourcing provide a great benefit to utilize assets which are already there without investing in any additional fixed and variable costs.

When and What to Outsource?

So, the question arises when you need to do outsourcing? The answer to this is quite simple, you must evaluate the goals of your business, things only you can achieve? and things only you can provide to your customers? Things which can be done with outsourcing? So, for all these you need to ask some questions:

• Is there a need to deduct a certain fixed cost to optimize the budget of the company?
• Are there some tasks that need your business to operate which require certain skills and expertise that your staff does not have?
• Are there some basic tasks which are making your staff to divert their focus on main and important tasks?

Benefits of Outsourcing Manufacturing

• Lower Labour Costs

Low labour costs are the main benefit of outsourcing, while there are many implications, performing outsourcing at the right time and place is the most essential and viable option. Labour cost which can be reduced to so much if you come in contact with the right outsourcing partners, it is confirmed by various enterprises that achieve high level of savings and are able to focus on main tasks when they chose outsourcing options.

•  Overhead Cost

Various companies outsource their work to eliminate overhead costs which are associated with business operations facility. Overhead costs include production equipment and utilities. There are other costs also like indirect costs, technicians, material handlers, shipping personnel etc.

•  Focus

For a company to grow it is important that they focus on core competencies which are things that they are best at whether it is sales, marketing or production and leave the general or non- core competencies to the third party to handle so that business can focus and grow. There may be a certain situation arises that there is sometimes an increase in demand and you need additional resources to meet the deadline as lack of it can affect the business so outsourcing companies can help them to fulfil demands in this way, you will grow thus maintaining its goodwill.

•  Fortress Nutrition

There are a lot of companies that help in food and nutrition services. From research development to manufacturing and packaging, they partner with small and medium clients to fulfil their demands and needs. They also provide unrivalled skills and expertise in all the aspects the business needs, whether it is packaging, blending, food testing or quality control.

Why MSME's are preferring outsourcing for testing?

Increase in regulation is mainly impacting the decision of a small business to shift from in house testing because they are  on small scale and don’t have enough resources which can increase their overall cost so that is why they prefer third-party labs for testing and it is more cost effective and at the same time they can focus on other important things.

Small and medium enterprises don’t always have resources like volume, knowledge, micro testers to perform pathogen or allergen testing in-house as well as they may send testing to focus on what they do best like food production and not o0n which they lack or they may want to keep them outside of litigious circumstances, apparently, the industry wants to do what is right for them but want to spend limited so that is why they outsource to get work done in the most cost-effective way. Small and medium companies are outsourcing their testing, third party labs are getting immense popularity in allergen and pathogen testing.

An area in which outsourcing is growing in terms of food:

Lab Accreditation

National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) is a quality control board of India, they are established with an objective to provide industries to collaborate with third-party for quality and technical check and test in laboratories.

So to achieve this NABL provides laboratory accreditation to perform tests in labs in accordance with ISO 17025:2005 medical labs. These services are provided in non- discriminatory manner and are accessible to all labs abroad as well in India regardless of status, ownership, size, and independence.

 ISO17025 accreditation is driven by customers standards and rules as sometimes customers specify some rules which require customised models which should be done in ISO certified lab to ensure the quality of the food system and the integrity of its lab test results...

While specifications are not listed on the import testing in accredited labs, implications are to follow ISO 17025, its a requirement has heightened the interest in accreditation.

Conclusion

So, from the above, we can conclude that outsourcing industries have a lot of scope in terms of lab testing because of it is better, cost-effective and experts work on it.

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries 

 Visit Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

 Call on this number +91-9560222333 

 Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

Protective Clothing Testing Lab in India

The Indian Board of Medical Research (ICMR) licensed private diagnostic laboratories for carrying out COVID-19 tests find it difficult to procure appropriate personal security equipment for their collection workers, namely, cover-all. The laboratories hope that the Centre's push to increase the availability of essential life-saving equipment, including PPE, may accelerate the manufacture and supply of such items. 

Leading ICMR players said that their facility is ready, personnel is qualified, but adequate diagnostic trials of the companies that can supply them and PPEs from the open market are yet to be received. In addition, they have been able to provide sufficient quantities of test kits. Thanks to lock-down and freight flow interruptions, it is often challenging to import test kits.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has proposed hydroxychloroquine to be used as a preventative against the disease by health care staff and treatment professionals of reported patients of COVID-19, even though experts have claimed that this medication is not successful in the prevention of COVID-19. Hospitals, including protection like masks and bodysuits, are often considered to be effective in ensuring protection for health personnel, according to researchers, but lacks protective gear.

How can Protective masks be beneficial?

Droplet transmission happens when a human has near contact (within 1 m) with a person with respiratory symptoms (for instance, coughing or sneezing) and is, thus, at risk of exposure to potentially contagious respiratory droplets with mucosa (mouth and nose) or conjunctiva (eyes). Therefore COVID-19 can be transmitted through direct interaction with infected individuals and indirect contact with surfaces in immediately surrounding areas and items in use on an infected individual (e.g. stethoscope or thermometer). Dissemination may also occur by fomites in the immediate atmosphere around the infected person. Therefore, protective clothing is the most essential elements one will require during this tough time where the entire nation is suffering.

Significance of protective clothing for the medical staffs:

The first to react when an infectious pathogen affects a population is health workers. In reality, they are also the first ones to be impacted — the first indication that an odd event happened is a series of cases of severe illness in health staff. Health employees could have a greater chance of infection before the origin of an epidemic is established and so infectious prevention steps may be implemented. Health staffs are at an elevated risk of infection owing to the frequent and long-lasting interaction with patients with a heavy viral load.

People across Asia have been encouraging wearing face masks to prevent COVID-19. Many countries still debate how to introduce the procedure to reduce the transmission of the disease owing to the COVID-19 crisis. Germany has become one of those countries and its Federal Institutes of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices has released details on standards of safety provided by different masks.

Where you can find such protective clothing?

Sigma Test and Research Centre, Delhi

Sigma Test and Research Centre is a premier lab involved in the testing of Bio-medical products, Textile materials, Electronic products and Plastic materials. Integrated facility approach gives sigma an edge to provide Medical Protective clothing testing made from multiple varieties of materials.

ICS Laboratories:

It is one of the world's leading research labs with skin- and hearing-safe devices. In any big global industry, ICS has decades of eyewear and facial security knowledge. Our studies cover PPE in medical settings, eye safety for sports and other athletic uses, eye- and face security experts employed by the U.S. Armed Forces and daily usage in general customers 'lifestyles. In order to perform complete optical and mechanical evaluations on eye and face safety products for a multitude of uses as necessary and defined in any industry, ICS laboratories shall carry out facilities, workers and accreditations.

GEOTECH Laboratory:

In compliance with a GAI – LAP Accreditation Program for the following 24 studies of geosynthetic materials, the Bombay Tissue Reference Association (BTRA) is now certified by the GEOTECH Laboratory (GSI), Folsom, PENNSYLVANIA, USA.

It is important to note that BTRA is the first institution to receive this required accreditation in India, and maybe only the third outside of the USA. This ensures that the goods can be checked in BTRA with full faith for geosynthetic producers and consumers that the quality of the tests is as strong as any other GAI-LAP accredited laboratories. The studies in India can be conducted to save time and resources without losing the accuracy of the results.

Intertek: 

In our research laboratories in India, the United Kingdom, China, and the United States, Intertek conducts rigorous protective equipment testing to satisfy the global demand for personal protective gear (PPE) boots, shoes, clothes and sparkle guards.

They will test safety footwear for technical dangers, slip resistance, thermal hazards, and ergonomic quality, for example. In electronic, electrical, chemical and micro-organism vulnerability Intertek checks PPE gloves. You check the ergonomics, size, performance, and effect of football shin guards. Intertek also executes research on products like high visibility; humidity, chemicals, and heat protection; and flame retardants for ripping, cracking, abrasion, and bending (as pre-treatments). The flammability safe clothes check tests radiant heat tolerance, touch heat, convective heat, and electromagnetic dangers.

Intertek is now performing EPI research of the eyes, ears, and facial security products, including goggles, gazebo, contact lenses, gazebo swimming, skateboarding, skateboards, snow sports casks, and ice hockey helmets. Helmets are also checked for the bicycles of the EPI.

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries 

 Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org 

 Call on this number +91-9560222333 

 Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

How Carbs Affect Blood Sugar? Glycemic Index

People who are diabetics often deal with problems related to diet because they want to maintain their blood sugar level. Studies have shown that carbohydrates release more sugar level in blood than protein and fat. However, one cannot escape the consumption of carbohydrates as it is present in our day to day meal. But how carbs affect blood sugar when it enters our body? You can find your answer here. 

What are Carbohydrates? 

Before understanding the effects, we need to know what exactly are carbohydrates and how it is classified. Carbs are the essential food group which is often found in the form of starch, sugar or fibre in different food items such as fruits, milk, vegetables, cereal and grains. 

Initially, it was classified as simple (composed of sugar with simple chemical structure) and complex (composed of sugar with complex chemical structure). Later, it was difficult to determine its effects on blood for which the Glycemic Index was determined. Glycemic Index is a ranking between 0-100 assigned to food according to their effects on the blood glucose level. Food with the high glycemic index, such as white bread, cause a rapid change to the blood sugar, whereas, food with a low glycemic index, like whole oats, results in slow changes.

Factors affecting the glycemic index of food

• Even though carbs are naturally present in the food items, still there are some factors which can affect its glycemic index. Here is a list of such factors.
• The content of fibre- people prefer high-fibre food because it usually digests slowly leading to a low rise of sugar level.
• Processing of food- the refining and milling is done to remove germs from the grains but raises the level of the glycemic index.
• Ripening- unripped fruits and veggies often contain a lower glycemic index than ripped ones. 
• Fat and acid content- food containing fat and acid is translated into sugar steadily. 
• The physical form of food- It is normally said that the whole form of food is better than processed ones. This is because coarsely ground grains digest gradually as compared to fine grounds.

How carbs effects sugar level?

As carbohydrates enter our body, it is broken down into smaller pieces which turn into sugar. Pancreas, located behind the stomach, stands responsible to produce insulin which further transfers sugar from the blood to cells to consume it as energy. The person with diabetes often has a pancreas that produces insufficient insulin or the insulin produced is being used inefficiently. When food with refined carbohydrates is consumed, the particles are broken with speed resulting in loads of glucose in the blood. This burdens pancreas to produce enough insulin. Eventually, the pancreas becomes unable to stand the load of glucose which increases the level of sugar in the blood. This scenario often takes place with simple carbohydrates which is why consuming complex carbs is beneficial as they produce glucose slowly. 

Wrapping up

So, next time you eat something, do check its carbohydrate content to stay healthy as a little fluctuation in carbs can fluctuate sugar level in blood. 

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries Regarding Food Testing

Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org

Call on this number +91-9560222333,  Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

Convenience Food Solutions

As far as the convenience of food is concerned, the team of Sigma understands what responsibilities food manufacturing companies have to deal with. Hence, we are here to lend a helping hand and ease their tasks by providing the best food solutions. 

People, nowadays, are driving towards a range of convenience segments in order to save their time which includes the convenience of food. Food manufacturing companies, on the other hand, are burdened with huge responsibilities of meeting the consumer’s requirement of faster-producing food and easy preparation and consumption. Thus, in this scenario, they have to take care of their awareness and health and we stand as a support to such manufacturers and provide them with the best convenience food solution. 

What food solution services did we provide?

With the help of our experts and their excellent knowledge, we help you convert your new and innovative idea into reality. We work in your support at every step of the food supply chain from production, analysis, testing, and reviewing. 

Allergens-

Our expert technicians use the latest technology to determine the accuracy of allergens. Our Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing systems can scan even the lowest level of allergens.

Shelf-life testing-

There are various complex factors that affect sheet life. Our team uses various tests such as shelf-life testing methods and microbiological tests to determine the composition of product, packaging, and storage. 

Food contact analysis-

Under contact analysis, we pay attention to the quality and safety of food production through laboratory tests and evaluations which includes food quality assessment, safety testing, and control. 

Nutrition and label analysis-

To examine the composition of significant ingredients such as fat, fibre, carbs, calories, minerals, vitamins, and other contents, we use our well-equipped facilities. Besides, we take care of different aspects of labelling such as language and layout to make it accessible to a wide audience. 

Food standards-

Various authorities have set certain standards to eliminate adulteration. We make sure that food retailers and manufacturers meet these standards to maintain customer’s safety and brand name. 

New product development-

Whether there is new processed food or changed the recipe of existing convenience, we provide a variety of services for your support. 

Health-

We also take care of the health factors associated with the food to represent a connection between health and consumption. This includes communicating the consumers the benefits of food and dietary supplements. 

We ensure our client maintain the integrity because we care that every product meets the safety, social health, quality and standards. Therefore, at Sigma, we use our diligent efforts and experience to provide the best support, both scientific and regulatory, to the manufacturers of pre-prepared food and ready-to-eat snacks. 

Contact the Sigma Team for Any Inquiries Regarding Food Testing

Website:- https://www.sigmatest.org

Call on this number +91-9560222333,  Mail ID- mail@sigmatest.org

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