V-2 Laboratory for Food and Feed Microbiology

The Laboratory conducts microbiological analyses of human food and animal feed and drinking water (water from water supply system, water wells and pools). The analyses are conducted according to the applicable Croatian regulations (Ordinance on microbiological criteria for food (Official Journal NN RH 16/08, 156/08, 53/11), Ordinance on quality of animal feed (Official Journal NN 26/98), Ordinance on safety of drinking water (Official Journal NN 47/08)).
The Laboratory is accredited according to standard HRN EN ISO/IEC 17025 and has all the required licenses issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health.

Until now, the Laboratory has 8 accredited methods:

FOOD AND ANIMAL FEEDING STUFFS:

1. Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for detection of Salmonella spp - HRN EN ISO 6579:2003/Corr. 1:2008;

2. Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Horizontal method for detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes – Part 1: Detection method - HR EN ISO 11290-1:1999/A1:2008;

3. Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuff – Horizontal method for detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes – Part 2: Enumeration method - HR EN ISO 11290-1:1999/A1:2008;

4. Horizontal method for the detection of Enterobacteriaceae – Part 2: Colony count technique - HRN ISO 21528-2:2004;
5. Horizontal method for the enumeration of microorganisms – Colony count technique at 30°C - HRN EN ISO 4833.

DRINKING WATER:

1. Detection and enumeration of Escherichia coli and coliform bacteria – Part 1: Membrane filtration method - HRN EN ISO 9308-1:2000/Corr.1:2008;

1. Detection and enumeration of intestinal enterococci – Part 2: Membrane filtration method -  HRN EN ISO 7899-2:2000;

3. Quality Water - Enumeration of culturable micro-organisms - Colony count by inoculation in a nutrient agar culture medium – HRN EN ISO 6222:2000.

Laboratory quality policy is a tendency toward constant improvement of our services to customers and the need to develop our research methods and to adapt them with the aim of improvement of our operations and quality of our work. For that reason, the Laboratory is in continuous process of expansion of the field of accreditation. We are currently in the process of expansion by one method:
- Method of enumeration of beta-glucuronidase positive Escherichia coli – Part 2: Colony count at 44°C

In addition to the foregoing activities, the Laboratory also provides the following services:
- Control of microbiological purity of facilities (Ordinance on frequency of controls and standards of microbiological purity in facilities under sanitary supervision (Official Journal NN RH 137/09);
- Microbiological control of carcasses on the slaughtering line (Ordinance on microbiological criteria for food, Official Journal NN RH 16/08 ,156/08, 53/11);
- Pollen analyses of honey (Ordinance on quality of unifloral honey, Official Journal NN 122/09);
- Detection of antibiotics in food of animal origin;
- Enumeration of microorganisms in milk samples from farms (Ordinance on inspection of raw milk intended for public consumption, NN 110/10).

In early 2006, the Laboratory moved into the new adapted premises, arranged according to all EU standards for microbiological laboratories. Major intention in its operations is paid to environmental conditions and the Laboratory has a device for air filtration, exhausting the existing air from the Laboratory and introducing fresh air by means of appropriate filters. Also, the Laboratory premises are sterilized by means of UV lamps. In the course of 2011, within the scope of the World Bank funding project, the Laboratory modernized its equipment (by replacing the obsolete equipment and purchasing new devices for biochemical identification of bacteria VITEK2 COMPACT).
The Laboratory has three employees with university degree (two veterinary medicine doctors and one graduate engineer of food technology) and three technicians.

Laboratory employees:

Hrvoje Krajina, DVM, Laboratory Manager

Irena Perković, Dipl.Eng., Deputy Manager (currently at maternity leave)

Mirta Vukičević, DVM, veterinarian – laboratory microbiologist

Marija Agičić, DVM – veterinarian – laboratory microbiologist

Zdenka Rimac, laboratory technician

Ivan Knežević, laboratory technician

Jurica Lesandrić, laboratory technician