TESTING METHODOLOGY

NSFAxiom Foods has been dedicated since day one to meeting and exceeding government standards for product safety testing. Axiom conducts multi-level quality control for all parameters including manufacturer and third party testing in China and the United States. All our products are GMP produced in ISO 22000, ISO 9000 and HACCP facilities, which have also passed the NSF Cook and Thurber third-party audit.

Axiom Foods tests all products at four key phases, from seed through shipping.
GMP produced:  Good Manufacturing Practices per FDA Guidance Documents which are formal documents representing the Agency’s current thinking on a particular subject.  Though guidelines are not legally binding, non-compliance may still lead to FDA actions.


ISO - International Organization for StandardizationISO 22000 and ISO 9000 facility:  Axiom facilities are audited and certified to an international management systems standard, widely used in manufacturing and service organizations. This evaluates our system for managing the quality of product and services. This family of standards for quality management systems is maintained by ISO,the International Organization for Standardization and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies including:

  • ISO 65 from USDA (Washington, D.C)
  • Conseil des Appellations Agroalimentaires du Québec (Québec, Canada)
  • JAS and MAFF export arrangement (Japan)
  • IFOAM (International Federation of Agriculture Movements)

  


HCAAPHACCP facility:  Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is a systematic, preventive approach to food and pharmaceutical safety rather than just relying on a finished product inspection. HACCP is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions, known as Critical Control Points (CCP’s) can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards being realized. Axiom uses the system at all stages of food production and preparation processes including packaging, distribution, etc.

 

Protein and Proximate Analysis:  All of Axiom’s products are third-party tested at a reputable FDA lab. Anresco conducts all of our food product safety analysis, including Proximate Analysis, specifically looking for heavy metals, protein levels, TPL, fat, ash fiber, etc. and results are qualified as correct.

These procedures, in addition to our proprietary, chemical-free processes, are why Axiom Foods has and will always avoid any melamine or cyuneric acid contamination.  For more information regarding our methodology, see below.

Summary of Melamine and Cyanuric Acid Testing Requirements
Because of extensive food safety issues, Axiom is committed to staying ahead of the curve.  Axiom products are tested at every stage from field to table, for everything (GMO, BT63, Prop 65*, etc.).  Axiom is not waiting for legislation to require the testing lengths we go to.

According to the FDA, U.S. districts may detain without physical examination, all vegetable protein products from China.  In order to secure release of an individual shipment detained pursuant to this Import Alert, the importer should provide results of a third-party laboratory analysis, of a representative sample of the lot, which verifies the product does not contain melamine or cyanuric acid.
Source: See U.S. FDA IMPORT ALERT #99-29
*Based on serving size.

Axiom Foods is working very closely with the FDA to seek an exemption for this based on our quality analysis we have provided.   As soon as the exemption is granted, we will provide written notice.

 

 

Procedures
Powdered samples (2 g) are extracted with 14 ml 2.5 % aqueous formic acid in a 50 ml polypropylene centrifuge tube. Extracts are centrifuged at 3750 g and then 1.4 ml of supernatant is transferred to a polypropylene Eppendorf tube and centrifuged at 16100 g (benchtop micro centrifuge). The extracts are filtered through PVDF syringe filters (0.2 micron pore) followed by dilution with acetonitrile and a second centrifugation at 16100 g. The extracts are analyzed by LC-MS/MS. A zwitterionic HILIC column is used to separate melamine from cyanuric acid. Melamine is detected in positive ion mode and cyanuric acid is detected in negative ion mode. Analyte concentrations are calculated using external standard calibration with a standard curve prepared in a pre-fortified control matrix which has been carried through the extraction procedure.

Source: See U.S. FDA Laboratory Information Bulletin LIB No. 4421 Volume 24, October 2008