The facility will be responsible for performing microbiological and physicochemical analyses to support Friboi plants in Redenção, Marabá, Santana do Araguaia and Tocantins. On average, there will be 3,500 analyses per month.
“This inauguration reinforces Friboi’s commitment to food safety and quality,” said Emilia Raucci, director of quality assurance at Friboi. “The investment in quality is a very well-practised practice in the company and attends the advances of disruptive technologies in livestock, in addition to further improving our internal standards.”
The new laboratory has the support of automation and digital technology, which amplifies the conditions of analysis of all production through diagnostics of predictive visibility, giving even more security and agility in the detection of any nonconformity in the products.
In addition, the laboratory allows the analysis of molecular biology for some species of microorganisms (DNA tests) in bovine and environmental samples, in order to identify these elements through the PCR technique, that is, in real time. “This analysis has a preventive character to the process controls and contribute to mitigate possible contaminations. In this way, we ensure the consumer a high-quality product,” added Raucci.
In the first half of 2018, Friboi opened a similar facility in Campo Grande. The company is also currently modernising six other laboratories in the country. Altogether, in the last two years, about R$5m has been invested in the renovation, construction and purchase of equipment.
Friboi currently has 11 in-house laboratories that are responsible for performing microbiological, physicochemical and chemical residue analyses to meet the operation’s routines, as well as customer and government requirements. The laboratory units are strategically located to meet the demands of the company’s plants throughout the country. Around R$65m per annum is invested in the quality assurance area in the JBS meat division alone.
Last year, the quality area of Friboi increased by 19.7% the monthly average of analyses performed in its own laboratories. In the previous year, 52,900 samples were analysed per month, while in 2018 the average jumped to 63,300.