Organizational Structure of Fisheries Product Testing Laboratory Section

• The staffs of FPTL are technical personnel employed by the BFAR under the Department of Agriculture (DA) and deployed under the Office of the Director. All are Career Service Eligible consistent with Civil Service Law, Rules and Regulations.
• It is headed by a Supervising Fishery Technologist, designated as a Section Chief, who supervises the over all laboratory activities of FPTLS. The laboratory staffs complement are Senior Aquaculturist (Senior Officer), Aquaculturist II and Aquaculturist I

 

Scope of Work

• The Fisheries Product Testing Laboratory Section (FPTLS) of the Fish Inspection and Quality Assurance Services (FIQAS) compromise of chemical and microbiological units. FPTLS provide laboratory services to the industry through chemical and microbiological analysis of fish and fishery product both for export and import and local consumption.
• The laboratory analyzes and certify fishery product for export to ensure the quality and safety of products to international market. It also conducts research and development studies for quality preservation and shelf life studies of fish and fishery product.
• FPTLS conduct analysis on freshness testing, proximate composition, contaminants, physical test and fish microbiology. The various tests conducted are listed below:

Quality and Freshness	Fish and Fish Product Safety	Physical Characteristic and Others
Freshness Indices: Trimethylamine (TMA) Total Volatile Base (TVB) pH Oil Quality: Free Fatty Acid (FFA) Peroxide Value (PV) Nutritional Composition: Crude Protein Moisture Ash Crude Fat	Chemical Contaminants: Total Mercury Total Cadmium Total Lead Chemical Residues: Formaldehyde Histamine Microbiological Test: Anaerobic Plate Count Total Coliforms & Escherichia Coli Salmonella & Shigella Staphyloccoccus Aureus Fungi (Yeast & Molds)	pH Water Activity (AW) Sensory Evaluation Sodium Chloride

 

Fisheries Product Testing Laboratory Section Functions

Functions:

• Implements laboratory methods and standards for quality management of fish and fishery products;
• Provides laboratory services to the industry to ensure the quality and safety of fish and fishery products for export and domestic consumption;
• Coordinates, monitors and evaluates the operation of the Regional Fisheries Quality Laboratories;
• Identifies and coordinates with private and government testing laboratories in analyzing and certifying fishery products for export to E.U. markets;
• Identifies and coordinates with private and government testing laboratories in analyzing and certifying fishery products for export to E.U. markets;
• Provides training and extension services on the operations/management of quality laboratory practices.

LABORATORY SERVICES
FISHERIES ADMINISTRATIVE
ORDER NO. 213 :
Series of 2001

SUBJECT: Establishment and maintenance of BFAR's quality control laboratories and collectioin of fees and charges for examination services.

Sec. 8. Laboratory fees - Laboratory services and fees rendered by the FQCL shall be collected in accordance with the following schedule:

A. Physico-chemical analysis:	Fee
Ash	P200.00
Moisture	85.00
Protein	100.00
Crude Fat	200.00
Salt	160.00
Boric Acid	70.00
Histamine	450.00
Formalin	250.00
Trimethylamine-Nitrogen	120.00
Total Volatile Base-Nitrogen	120.00
Free Fatty Acid	270.00
Thiobarbituric Acid	100.00
Heavy Metals: (Copper, Cadmium, Lead, Arsenic and Mercury)	1,200.00/element
Cyanide	250.00
Peroxide Value	200.00
Water Activity	75.00
pH	50.00
B. Microbial & Toxicological Examination:
Standard Plate Count/Aerobic Plate Count/ Total Viable Count	200.00
Yeasts/Mold Count	250.00
Coliform Count	250.00
Faecal Coliform	250.00
Staphylococcus aureaus	300.00
Salmonella	400.00
Shigella	400.00
E. coli	350.00
Anaerobic Bacteria	450.00
Water Analysis	350.00
Alkalinity	50.00
C. Physical/sensory examination for fresh/frozen, processed and canned fish & fishery products
External & internal can examination	100.00
Sensory evaluation for canned, fresh,frozen, & processed fish products	100.00
D. Seaweeds physico-chemical analysis:
Physical Analysis: (gel strength, gelling point melting point & viscosity	300.00
Chemical Analysis:
Sulphate	250.00
Acid Insoluble Ash	200.00
E. Product Qualty Certificate
Health Certificate	50.00

 

Frequency of Analysis

• The laboratory tests required prior to the issuance of health certificate are done depending on the commodity type on a per shipment basis. The following tests are conducted on a monthly and/or on a periodic basis for verification purposes as part of the HACCP system (Table 3).
• Table 3. Frequency of analysis.

 

Product Type	Laboratory Tests
	Per Shipment Basis	Periodic Basis (for verification)
A. Fishery Products 1.Fresh Chilled Products a) Tuna & tuna-like fishes (Scombroid species) b) lapu-lapu; grouper, snapper, parrot fish, barracuda, etc	a) sensory test b) Chemical tests (if sensory is doubtful) TMA-N TVB-N c)Ciguatoxin (for parrot fish, lapu-lapu, snapper, and barracuda)	a) Chemical test Heavy metals (eg. lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic) – [2x per year per Phil. Reg. Or as required by Importing country on a per shipment basis] Cadmium for octopus only b) Microbiological tests (complete analysis – monthly) APC E. Coli Salmonella Shigella Staphylococcus aureus Vibrio cholera
2.Frozen Fishery Products a)Tuna and tuna loins b) Lapu-lapu, grouper, parrotfish barracuda, etc. c)Octopus d) Aquaculture products (milkfish, Shrimps, tilapia)	a)Chemical tests Histamine for tuna and tuna loins TMA-N / TVB-N ( for tuna & tuna loins) b) Ciguatoxin (for parrot fish, lapu-lapu, snapper, and barracuda) c) Moisture content for octopus d) Antibiotics (for aquaculture products) i.e.nitrofurans, chloramphenicol e) Microbiological test per product	a) Chemical test Heavy metals (eg. lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic) – [2x per year per Phil. Reg. Or as required by Importing country on a per shipment basis] Cadmium for octopus only b) Microbiological tests (complete analysis – monthly) APC E. Coli Salmonella Shigella Staphylococcus aureus Vibrio cholera
3. Canned Tuna & Sardines	a) Chemical test Histamine ( end product testing)	Chemical test Heavy metals (eg. lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic) – [2x per year per Phil. Reg. or as required by Importing country on a per shipment basis ] Microbiological test (quarterly) Anaerobic bacteria or Sterility test or Clostridium
4. Bottled Fish Paste Products (Anchovy Paste)	a) Chemical test Histamine (for anchovy/sardines)	a) Chemical test (Quarterly) Water activity; pH; % Salt b) Microbiological tests ( Quarterly or as required by importing country on a per shipment basis) APC Staphylococcus aureus
5. Pasteurized/ bottled salted shrimp paste	a) PSP toxin (for tiny shrimps)	a) Chemical test (Quarterly) Water activity; pH; % Salt b) Microbiological tests ( Quarterly or as required by importing country on a per shipment basis) APC Staphylococcus aureus
6. Other processed fishery / aquaculture products (eg. smoked, dried, marinated, etc.)	a) Chemical test test as appropriate per product e.g. water activity, moisture, and % salt. Antibiotic for smoked, marinated milkfish (i.e. nitrofurans, chloramphenicol) b) Microbiological examination/or as per required by importing country	a) Chemical test – test as appropriate per product Heavy metals (eg. lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic) – [2x per year per Phil. Reg. or as required by importing country on a per shipment basis ] b) Microbiological tests (complete analysis – monthly) APC E. coli Salmonella Shigella Vibrio Cholerae Staphylococcus aureus Yeast & Molds (for dried fish only)

 

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