Analysis of nuts and dried fruits
Your expert for comprehensive nut and dried fruit analysis
When it comes to the production and distribution of nuts and dried fruit, you face a number of challenges in terms of the quality and safety of your products. We are here to support you: from sampling and inspection in the country of origin, quality testing after the raw materials have been imported, through the entire spectrum of laboratory analysis and sensory testing, to testing the marketability, packaging and labelling of your finished products.
Topic overview
Our range of analyses for nuts and dried fruits
Various contaminants can enter food during production, transport and storage. These include residues of pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins and pest infestation. Compliance with the limits prescribed in Europe and Germany for pesticides, mycotoxins and sulphur dioxide must be ensured in particular. Import controls are also prescribed for some contaminants and products from non-EU countries, such as goji berries, aronia, acerola and acai berries. We offer you maximum safety for your products through a wide range of analyses in all areas.
General food analysis
- Allergens
- Nutritional value analyses
(ash, protein, fat, moisture, carbohydrates, sugar, fibre, salt)
Special analyses
- Sulphurous acid and other preservatives
- Hydrocyanic acid
- H2O2
- Proof of irradiation
- Radioactivity measurements
- Fat indices
(free fatty acids FFA, peroxide value POV)
Residues and contaminants
- Mycotoxins: aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, alternariol, patulin
- Plant protection products, fumigants
- MOSH/MOAH
- Heavy metals
(cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic) - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
- Dioxins, furans and PCBs
- Solvent residues
Microbiological tests
- Total bacterial count
- Salmonella
- Bacillus cereus
- Coliform bacteria, enterobacteriaceae, E. coli, EHEC
- Yeasts, moulds
- Spores of sulphite-reducing clostridia
To ensure comprehensive quality, we offer you a wide range of services that go beyond the entire analytical spectrum.
Sampling at the place of origin
Our global collaboration with experienced inspectors enables us to carry out supply chain controls, such as representative and independent sampling in the country of origin, loading inspections and supplier audits in all major export markets, as well as at central trading points in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey and along the Black Sea coast. This enables us to check the use of pesticides and hygiene conditions on site, thereby helping to minimise contamination during harvesting, transport or storage.
Sensory analysis
In the diverse world of nuts and dried fruits, we do not only encounter products that are already widespread in Germany and Europe, such as cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, dates, figs, apricots, plums and cranberries, but also increasingly exotic fruits from various countries. Our sensory experts specialise in analysing and evaluating the sensory characteristics of all these products. They use precise methods and procedures for sensory analysis.
Our sensory tests include
- descriptive tests: detailed sensory descriptions of your products
- distinctive tests: comparative analyses to identify differences
- expert reports: well-founded assessments of food law issues
Our exclusively trained testers assess all the characteristics that can be perceived by the human senses. This includes analysing appearance, smell, taste and texture. In addition to determining positive quality characteristics, we also take into account possible quality defects such as the proportion of damage and breakage.
Further services
Our range of services is rounded off by other services, including
- specialised issues
Infestation and pest infestation, weight and size determination, impact and cracking results, visual inspections according to UNECE and USDA standards - packaging testing
Packaging analysis in cardboard, plastic and other materials, overall migration, certificate of conformity - food legislation assessment
Marketability, labelling inspection, national and international
Legal bases and guidelines
Nuts and dried fruits are a very diverse topic when it comes to legal assessment. Our experts refer to a wide range of legal bases, including
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 (Contaminants-Regulation)
- Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council (maximum residue levels of pesticides)
- Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2782
- Kontaminanten-Verordnung (KmV) (Regulation on the limitation of contaminants in foodstuffs, in German)
- DGHM Richt- und Warnwerte für Lebensmittel (DGHM guideline and warning values for food, in German)
Eurofins Food Legislation News
The Eurofins Food Legislation News is published every two months, focusing on new developments in food legislation and interesting court rulings. It also regularly provides useful information on nuts and dried fruits and a selected overview of important RASFF rapid alerts.
Membership and approvals of individual Eurofins laboratories
By working with relevant professional bodies, we ensure that our range of services is always in line with the latest market requirements.
- International Nut and Dried Fruit Council (INC)
- Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse e.V. (Hamburg Stock Exchange Commodity Association)
Contact us
We offer you practical solutions based on the many years of experience of our industry experts. We look forward to advising you on all matters relating to nuts and dried fruits.
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