Infrastructure & Services

Analytical Labs

Materials

Agroecosystem

Surface and groundwater quality characterization
Soils and sediments characterization
Bio-availability studies
Air pollution
Wet & Dry depositions
Bio-indicators
Other

Authenticity Traceability

Isotopes of light elements
Isotopes of heavy elements
Non target analysis
Trace elements
Sensory profiles
Rare Earth Elements
Elemental profiles
Metabolic profiles
Genetic markers
Other

Nutrition

Food Quality

Surface and groundwater quality characterization
Soils and sediments characterization
Bio-availability studies
Air pollution
Wet & Dry depositions
Bio-indicators
Other

Food Safety

Electronic Facilities

Food matching results

E-learning tool – basic statistics

Physical Facilites

Clean laboratories, lab safety procedures, biobank facilities, QA system with accredited laboratories and certified for handling biological materials.
The Department’s laboratories are well equipped for mass spectrometry analysis.
Instrumentation:
Mass spectrometry: UPLC-qTOF-MS/MS, ICP-MS, ICP-MS QQQ, LA-ICP-MS, LC-ICP-MS, GC-ICP-MS, SP-ICP-MS, GC(IT)MS, GC-MSD, LC-MS/MS;
Spectrophotometry: HG AFS, CV AFS, CV AFS , Raman spectroscopy;
Isotope ratio mass spectrometry: EA-IRMS, GC-C-IRMS, DI-IRMS, Py-IRMS, MC-ICP-MS;
Nuclear methods: TRIGA MARK II nuclear reactor, alpha, beta and gamma counting;
Access to JSI research infrastructure: Protein structures and Electron Microscopy Center with state of the art equipment.

Laboratory is equipped with LC-MS/MS (Infinity 1290, 6460, Agilent Technologies), which is mainly used for analyses of pesticide residues in honey, vegetables and wine and precursors in grapes / wine and GC-MS (7890A– 5975C upgraded with triple axis detector, Agilent Technologies), which is mainly used for analyses of pesticide residues in honey, vegetables and wine and aromatic compounds in wine and fruit.

The Department’s laboratories are well equipped for molecular biology, biochemical and microbiological analysis, plant growth and electron microscopy.
The equipment at NIB is part of Infrastructural Centre Planta.
Equipment relevant for the project is listed below:
real-time PCRs (ABI HT 7900HT Fast, Roche Light Cycler 480, ABI PRISM ViiA7 SDS); droplet digital PCRs (QX100 and QX200, Bio-Rad) chip based digital PCR (BioMark HD, Fluidigm) robotic liquid handling system used for automated pipetting of liquids (Microlab StarLet, Hamilton). IonTorrent sequencer, electron microscope (Philips CM100) confocalmacroscope(LeicaTCSLSI). Growthchambers, experimentalgreenhouses.

Unit for Food and Items of General Use is the part of the Department for the Environment and Health.
Activities are performed in cooperation with Department for Chemical Analysis of Food, Water and Other Environmental Samples and Department for Microbiological Analysis of Food, Water and Other Environmental Samples.
The unit perform sampling and analyses of food by accredited methods (pesticides, contaminants, alergene, nutritional value, microbiology…).
Laboratory is also NRL’s for residues of veterinary medicines, pesticide, mycotoxyne, dioxine, PCB, mercury.
We also perform internal control in accordance with the HACCP standards, education and training on food hygiene.
All results are evaluated about conformity according to the legislation, standards and/or other expert guidance documents. For some issues we perform the risk assessments especialy for contaminants in food.
Some parameters are analysed according to the problems of specific migration from food contact materials (FCMs) into packed food, NLZOH is also NRL for FCMs.
Unit for food cooperate with governmental bodies in the field of the monitoring of food compliance according to the food safety legislation as well as food labelling.

Laboratories of the Department (laboratories of the 5 Chairs participating in the program) are equipped with the most modern instruments.
Chair of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry (KBKŽ) carry out structural studies of macromolecules transitions (influence of additives on the transition) with DSC calorimetry, the rheological properties at the Chair of microbiology (using Anton Paar rheometer).
For analysis of fatty acids we are using GC-MS at the Chair of Technologies, the HPLC determination of the content of phenolic compounds is performed within 2 chairs, KBKŽ and KTPV.
Microbiological analyzes and analysis of antifungal properties at the Chair of Biotechnology and Food Safety and Microbiology.
The spray-dryer and micro-encapsulator (Buchi) are at KBKŽ Chair for encapsulation of biologically active compounds.
Facilities for analysis of meat products are at the Chair of Meat Technology and Food Assessment as well as for sensory analysis of the products.

Facilities at ULJ-VF enable testing of various samples including food and feed. Samples are prepared in specially designated areas for sample preparation.
Microbiological testing includes classical bacteriological testing (isolation and culturing of microbes), serological testing and various molecular methods using PCR, real-time PCR, digital PCR, pulse field gel-electrophoresis determination, Sanger sequencing and next generation sequencing.
Species determination is performed by molecular methods (PCR-analyses, sequencing).
Animal house facilities for biological assays are also available.
For chemical analysis of food and feed, the following equipment is used: ICP-MS, LC-MS/MS, UPLC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS, some HPLC-DAD-FLD, MALDI-TOF, GC-MS; GC-FID, Kjeldahl system, Extraction (Soxlet) system, Foodscan

The researchers of the Institute for Oliveculture and laboratory staff have collaborated in the preparation, implementation and leadership of two strategically important projects for the cross-border area and the ZRS Koper – SIGMA and SIGMA2 – that enabled the construction of infrastructure for natural sciences focused in the Mediterranean agriculture, and founded the Mediterranean Culture Centre, which is important for the development of Mediterranean cultures and for the identity of the area.
Since March 2017, the Lab of the Institute for Oliveculture used the new laboratories infrastructure facilities and equipment in the Mediterranean Culture Centre in Isola, that includes LC/MS/MS (QQQ), GC-S/Sless-CoolOnC, HPLC (DAD/RID/FD), ISO 17025 and COI accredited sensorial panel as a part of accredited laboratory.