Analytical Laboratories & Technical Services Australia’s (ALTSA) Merbein South facility is going from strength-to-strength, with the company recently commissioning a new microbiology and molecular biology laboratory.
ALTSA general manager Ray Harris said: “This new laboratory enables us to conduct state of the art DNA testing to detect microbes in food, water, soil and plants and so we are delighted that this laboratory is now up and running.”
“With these tests now available in addition to pesticide (MRLs) and heavy metals, we can offer local growers of fresh produce the complete range of tests required for them to sell into domestic and export markets,” Mr Harris said.
“And when you add to that our existing soil and plant nutrition testing capability, that’s a far more comprehensive offering than competitor labs in capital cities, so we now consider our facility a one stop local service for growers and food and beverage processors/manufacturers with turnaround times for all testing being only days, not weeks.
“Of course, it’s also far more convenient and time saving to have a locally based lab facility that customers can just drop off samples to, rather than having to pack and freight samples to a far-off multinational capital city lab and hoping the samples don’t go missing or deteriorate along the way.”
Mr Harris said that another benefit of being able to offer microbiology testing is that ALTSA can test drinking water, including domestic water in homes and businesses generally, as well as pool water.
“We can test for the presence of microbes like E.coli, coliforms and other micro-organisms (which can cause gastroenteritis), heavy metals and blue green algae toxins in drinking water,” he said.
“Heavy metals can be sourced from plumbing itself and can be associated with causing brain damage and reproductive difficulties – even a new tap or water filter could be a source of heavy metals as a result of leaching and corrosion.
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