PSN Lifesciences International (PSNL) is launching the first start-up lab of its kind for the analytical testing of food, environment and biotech samples in DuBiotech.

The company specialises in the quality monitoring of food, beverages and meat products and food safety analysis, as well as monitoring agricultural produces and various environmental parameters, such as water samples. It is the first laboratory in the UAE to do this, with all previous testing being outsourced abroad, a statement from PSNL said.

Marwan Abdulaziz, executive director of DuBiotech and Tecom Sciences Cluster, said: “I am extremely pleased to be able to welcome a new business partner to DuBiotech today.  This is not just because I know that here at Dubiotech we offer the highest spec laboratories which are so critical to the needs of our business partners, but also because it brings us another step closer to our long-term goal - to build a sustainable biotechnology sector in the UAE.”

“While we are already host to several start-ups at DuBiotech, this launch is a milestone for us as it is the first start-up laboratory that we have.  It is an excellent reflection of the ingenuity and calibre of our business partners.”   

The newly developed private laboratory will adhere to the latest US EPA & US FDA guidelines, in addition to meeting the regulatory standards like GSO, DCA, ISO, ILAC, Esma, Ohsas as mandated by the UAE Ministry of Health and Dubai Municipality, the statement said.

It will also be fitted with modern sophisticated equipment like a segmented flow analyser for testing contaminants in water, sewage and food; a Perkin Elmer ICP-OES for testing trace elements in food and water and an HPLC for quantitative and qualitative analysis of chemical components in food/environmental samples.  

Dr N Upadhyay, managing director, said: “PSNL services meet the high demand for quality and hygienic food as desired by customers from all sectors based in the UAE and the Middle East more broadly. Our laboratory at DuBiotech offers services which contribute tremendously towards maintaining healthy living in the UAE.”

The laboratory is going to be accredited by the National Accreditation for Testing and Calibration (ISO 17025), Dubai Accreditation Centre (DAC) and Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (Esma) certified analytical laboratory which will be committed to provide the highest quality of all offered services with the lowest turnaround time.

DuBiotech companies are split into four colour-coded segments determined by their sector - red (blood, health and diagnostics companies); white (equipment such as MRI scanners); blue (marine related companies) and green, the segment into which PSNL fits (agriculture, food technology, GMOs and fragrances, flavours, and natural food colouring).  The red segment is currently the largest and account for 70 per cent of all DuBiotech business partners. – TradeArabia News Service