Ardon Analysis Laboratory

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Services available in all areas of oilseeds analysis 

Analysis work under Quality Assurance

CETIOM's laboratory is located in Ardon (Loiret), south of Orleans, since 1982.
Its main activities include routine analysis and analytical research.

The laboratory is accredited by COFRAC (The French Accreditation Commission) according to the NF EN ISO/CEI 17025 guidelines*. The accreditation covers two programs on livestock feed analysis (program 81) and the analysis of fats and oilseeds (program 82).
This accreditation is validated by a permanent participation to the BIPEA proficiency testing schemes and by regular control audits.
Due to their permanent training, the laboratory's staff are highly competent to carry out standardized methods according to the norms.

*COFRAC details : Accreditation No. 1-0727; scope communicated upon request.

 Distribution by seed type of CETIOM samples analyzed by the Laboratory (2008)

Routine analysis

 Analysis of oilseed samples from CETIOM experiments. These are provided by programs undertaken at the CETIOM field testing stations in cooperation with regional partners. Each year 10,000 samples are analyzed, resulting in 25,000 findings.

 Analysis of oilseeds (oil, proteins) in prelisting trials of the Permanent Technical Committee for the Selection of Crop Plants ("CTPS") before registration.

 Analysis of samples generated by the programs of the "Valorization, Quality and Sanitary Safety" departement and of the Experimental oil-mill CREOL in Pessac (Gironde).

Standardization activities

The analysis Laboratory participates in activities promoting the standardization of analysis methods:

• it is responsible for initiating or contributing to the improvement and/or development of analysis methods needed to assess quality during the entire production process;
• it helps the oilseed sector regarding expert analytic knowledge;
• it takes part in the French (AFNOR) and international (CEN/ISO) standardization groups;
• it contributes actively as an expert to self-testing circuits for fats and to those initiated for glucosinolates.

It is also authorized by the Ministry for Industry (National Testing Labs, "LNE") to approve commercial humidimeters.

R & D programs

The laboratory cooperates with a number of research programs, for example:

• Studying the variability of fatty acid composition in oilseeds
• Developing methods for analyzing pesticide traces in oilseeds.
• Working on calibrating infra-analyzers in order to validate rapid protein analysis methods (infrared)
• Variability of glucosinolates in Brassicae residues
• Annual study on meal quality
• Annual study on seed quality

These programs and studies are the object of regular publication, available at the laboratory.

Services available in all areas of oilseeds analysis

In order to fully enhance the value of its skills and its equipment, the analysis Laboratory of Ardon furnishes paid analyses services covering practically all facets of oilseeds analysis.
Contact: Véronique Garnon, (garnon@cetiom.fr)

 Price documentation (in French, PDF 115 Kb)

Impurities and water content 

• Impurity level
• Water content

Physical characteristics  

• Thousand seeds weight

Fats

• Oil content by extraction with hexane
• Oil content by nuclear magnetic resonance
• Oil fatty acid content
• Acidity value or oil acidity

Protein content  

• Protein content using the Kjeldahl method
• Protein content using the Dumas method
• Soluble protein content

Glucosinolates 

• Glucosinolate content using high performance liquid chromatography

Fibers  

• NDF, ADF, ADL (Van Soest) determination
• Gross cellulose according to WEENDE
• Dosage of raw ashes
• Insoluble lignin

The laboratory also carries out studies and services on demand:

• Supplying a range of standardized samples if requested for calibration
• Extracting oil (1 to 2 l) for specific studies
• Selling ready-to-use sulfatase for glucosinolate analysis
• Identifying and measuring glucosinolates on vegetative parts of a variety of crucifers.

Efficient equipment

• Two NMR instruments for oil dosage
• Automatic protein analysis instruments (LECO, Kjeltec)
• Automatic and computerized data-acquisition workflow
• Semiautomatic instruments for analyzing cellulose (Fibertec, Fibersac)
• High performance liquid chromatographs for analyzing glucosinolates
• Gas chromatographs for fatty acid profiles
• Gas chromatographs with a mass spectrometer for pesticide residue analysis
• Infra-analyzers (water, oil and protein content in rapeseed)

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