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Primoris & Ciboris
A spin-off of Ghent University founded in 2001, Primoris is a specialized laboratory for residue and contaminant analysis in the agri-food industry. In 2016 Ciboris, a knowledge center focusing on long term basic research, became a partner of the Primoris group. In 2014, the certification company CKCert had already joined the group.
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rimoris started operations with a staff of 25 people performing the analysis of 10,000 samples a year. In 2020 its 85 employees analyzed more than 70,000 samples. The lab analyses a wide variety of samples: fresh products, organic products, baby food, animal feed and complex matrices (oil containing seeds and vegetable oils, plant extracts, animal products, spices, sugar crops, tobacco, tea, coffee, cacao) for which it is important to determine the level of pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, mineral oil, foodborne viruses and other contaminants. 10% of these analyses are reported the same day and 20% the day after.
© Ciboris
© Primoris
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Contributing to the enhancement of food safety, product quality and sustainability
and consultancy services in the fields of food quality, food safety and risk assessment. It builds upon a scientific approach for quality management systems and a strong knowledge of current and upcoming legislation thanks to its close links with the Belgian Authority for Food Safety, senior officials at EU level, and expert panels at national and international level. With the help of Ghent University Ciboris designed a detailed and comprehensive method for risk assessment and food production chain based on the latest scientific findings. Such a method helps the customers of Ciboris to comply with current stringent regulations. Moreover, Ciboris helps them to set up revised quality management systems for the food chain in the aftermath of COVID-19. The organization is also participating in research projects targeting the development of analytical methods for food fraud. In the same prospect, it explores the possibilities of foodomics, i.e. the application of omics analytical techniques based on high-resolution mass spectrometry, to detect food fraud in samples or group samples.
Primoris draws its expertise from the Research Group on Pesticide Residue Analysis of the Faculty of Agriculture at Ghent University. As this research group started to develop commercial activities the need was felt to create an independent laboratory, Fytolab, renamed Primoris in 2015. Today Primoris offers its expertise to a variety of customers ranging from individual farmers to processing companies through supermarkets, inspection & certification bodies, import & export players, federal food agencies and the pharmaceutical industry. Primoris generates 50% of its turnover in Belgium and 50% abroad, having customers from all over the world.
Ciboris combines scientific knowledge, legislative status and practical implementation in companies, which makes Ciboris a reliable partner in topics related to food quality, food safety and risk assessment along the food chain.
At the time being Primoris focuses on the development of new analytical methods for additional components and other byproducts which will soon be the subject of legislation. On top of that the lab invests heavily in new equipment to enjoy more sensitive methods that will be able to detect pesticides in trace amounts. The lab wants to support the market in detecting residues on ever decreasing levels. Primoris is also taking part in a research project together with the Belgian Authority for Food Safety. The project studies the migration of ink and glues from packaging in food.
Primoris & Ciboris Technologiepark 90 (Zone A6b) - 9052 Zwijnaarde Tel.: +32 (0)9 330 10 10 Email: info@primoris-lab.com – info@ciboris.org http://www.primoris-lab.com - http://www.ciboris.org/
Primoris relies upon Ciboris for its long-term development prospects: as a nonprofit organization, Ciboris offers research, training, 66
