Yes! Our laboratory is accredited by multiple governmental agencies to ISO 17025 standards. Please Click Here for more information on our accreditations.

Sample volume will depend on the specific combination of tests you are requesting.

1. For Food and Beverage Testing: Please email labdata@aemtek.com with the list of tests that you are requesting and the sample type.
2. Cosmetic Testing: For COA testing, please submit 4oz of product in its finished good packaging. For routine testing, please email labdata@aemtek.com with the list of tests that you are requesting and sample type.

Please see the sampling guidelines below that relate to your sampling event:

Water

EPA Drinking Water Bacterial Sampling | Video
CDC Legionella Sampling Procedure

Food Processing Facility

Food Processing Environmental Swabbing | Video

Industrial Hygiene

Mold Sampling Guide
Allergen & ERMI Dust Sampling with Carpet Sampler

Products should be shipped according to their holding conditions. Ambient products can be shipped in a plain box. Refrigerated and frozen products should be shipped overnight in a Styrofoam cooler with ice-packs to keep it cold. All shipments must include the appropriate Chain of Custody form for the samples.   Please ship samples to:

AEMTEK Sample Receiving
466 Kato Terrace
Fremont, CA 94539

Results will be sent once all tests are completed. Therefore, your turnaround time will be that of the requested test with the longest duration.

For Cosmetic COA testing the turnaround time is 14 days. If method suitability is needed, turnaround time could be extended to 3 weeks.

Each company will have its own set of product specifications, against which laboratory results should be compared. The specifications (or “specs”) are determined by what your company deems as acceptable, based upon a combination of: research of similar products, the company’s SOPs and manufacturing practices, buyer requirements, and testing result data over time.

AEMTEK is happy to provide consulting services to help your company develop a set of specifications for your particular products. Please contact lab@aemtek.com for consulting assistance in developing specifications.

Related Resource(s): USDA Food Specifications

Yes, we do offer next-generation sequencing service. We recommend this method for complex microbial community analysis (e.g. compost, soil and complex probiotic products). Please contact the lab for project details and a special quote.

With each SARS-CoV-2 sampling swab you can sample an area up to 100 sq cm (or 8″x8″).

It is not recommended to sample more than one location per swab.  It some areas, it may make sense to sample the door handle & keypad on a microwave oven, or  a keyboard and mouse, with a single swab. However, do not exceed the 100sq cm (or 8″x8″) maximum sampling area per swab.

Yes, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) analysis can be used for food packaging materials as long as you can use the specialty swab to collect a sample from the food packaging materials’ surface.

There are air sampling methods for the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus in general. However, the regular filter cassettes will not work because their pore size is larger than virus particles. Liquid impinger with proper medium is a suitable method. There is a study of air sampling of SARS-CoV-2 using SASS®2300 WETTED-WALL AIR SAMPLER at 300 L/min for 30 minutes. There is another study that used polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filter cassettes for taking air samples. However, we have not validated a testing method for air samples.

We don’t recommend compositing samples, because there is no enrichment step in the testing protocol. Therefore, compositing samples would lower the sensitivity of testing and such render false negatives. In addition, the swab tip is relatively small. Sampling too big of an area would saturate the swab and lower the collecting efficiency.

Results will be sent once all tests are completed. Therefore, your turnaround time will be that of the requested test with the longest duration.

For Cosmetic COA testing the turnaround time is 14 days. If method suitability is needed, turnaround time could be extended to 3 weeks.

A Certificate of Analysis, or COA, is a document that establishes that a product was analytically tested and meets specifications of safety and quality. Retailers require a COA from suppliers to ensure that the supplier has done their due-diligence to ensure the product remains safe for consumers, and the quality is as expected. To obtain a COA, samples may be sent to AEMTEK for analysis, where we will perform the standard cosmetic testing panel. Results will be issued in the form of a Certificate of Analysis for each individual product. The standard panel includes the most common tests used to determine product safety and quality for cosmetics.

Once all tests have been completed, your results (the COA) will be email to the email-address that you provided on your Chain of Custody (COC) Form.

Aemtek is an ISO accredited, reputable laboratory with over 15 years of experience testing for the food, environmental, and cosmetic industries. Although it cannot be guaranteed that Amazon will accept any individual COA, we are familiar with their documentation requirements and have put together a panel of tests that includes the analyses retailers will look for on a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to ensure product safety and quality. If you do have any issues with your COA, please reach out to us at labdata@aemtek.com and we will work with you to address the issue.

We offer culture plating method (based on CDC, ISO11731-2 and Standard Method SM9260J), Legiolert method (IDEXX) and Legionella pneumophila PCR method. All our methods are accredited by CDC ELITE program and AIHA EMLAP.

We offer microscopic examination, culture method, ITS and 18S DNA sequencing and qPCR methods.

We currently offer Total Aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2), Ochratoxin (Ochratoxin A 100% Ochratoxin B 18%) and Trichothecene (Verrucarin A) tests on routine basis. For other mycotoxin tests, please contact us for availability and special quotes.

First, we will have you complete a Shelf Life Inquiry Form. This form will give our team important information about your product, so they may create an appropriate proposal for your study.

After reviewing the information, and obtaining answers to any additional questions, our team will create a custom study design to fit your particular needs and budget. This will include choosing relevant microbiological, sensory, and physio-chemical analyses, as well as test points (time intervals at which the product will be tested during the study). The AEMTEK team will send the proposal for approval, and can work with you to make any adjustments necessary.

Throughout the duration of the study, you will receive updates on how the product is performing. At any time during its duration, you can decide to suspend the study (if the product is not performing as expected) or extend (if the product is performing better than anticipated). Upon completion of the study, you will be issued a full report of the results.

Accelerated studies are performed by manipulating the environment to simulate accelerated ambient conditions. Typically higher heat and humidity is used to accelerate the microbial growth by a target factor of time.