Testing labs in Aci Sant'Antonio

CENTRO ANALISI – Dott. Vecchio Giovanbattista & C. s.a.s. is an independent chemical and microbiological testing laboratory founded in 1977 by Dr. Giovanbattista Vecchio, a professional chemist, and headquartered at Via Fleming, 95025 Aci Sant'Antonio, in the province of Catania, Sicily, Italy. The laboratory was formally incorporated as a limited partnership (s.a.s.) in 2015. Its origins lie in agronomic consulting work carried out by its founder as a technical consultant to the Istituto Sperimentale dell'Agrumicultura (Experimental Institute for Citriculture) in Acireale, where he developed deep expertise in leaf analysis, soil science, water chemistry, and the analysis of citrus juices and derived products. From that agricultural foundation the laboratory has grown into a multi-sector analytical facility serving clients across the food, agriculture, and environmental industries throughout Sicily. In the food and beverage sector CENTRO ANALISI performs a broad range of safety and quality-control analyses on raw materials and finished products. Testing capabilities include pesticide residue determination (residui fitofarmaci), heavy metals, and mycotoxins in food commodities. Edible oils receive dedicated chemical and quality verification. For fishery and seafood products (prodotti ittici) the laboratory carries out specific regulated determinations of histamine, sulfites, lead, cadmium, and mercury — analytes required for compliance with Italian and EU food safety legislation. Nutritional composition analysis is conducted in accordance with EU Regulation No. 1169/2011, enabling food producers to generate accurate and compliant nutrition declarations for labelled packaged goods. Beyond analytical testing, CENTRO ANALISI supports food businesses with food safety management documentation. The laboratory offers drafting of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) manuals and corresponding self-monitoring registers (registri di autocontrollo) as mandated under Italian and EU food hygiene law. This consultancy function positions the laboratory as both an analytical partner and a regulatory compliance resource for food manufacturers, processors, and distributors who must maintain documented food safety management systems under current EU requirements. In the agricultural sector (settore agrario) the laboratory provides soil analysis for agronomic purposes, including assessments structured to meet the requirements of the PSR (Piano di Sviluppo Rurale — Regional Rural Development Plan) of the Sicilian Region. Soil testing covers the detection and quantification of pesticide residues and heavy metals in agricultural land. The laboratory also analyses fertilisers — both simple and compound (fertilizzanti semplici e complessi) — as well as organic amendments (ammendanti), compost, and sewage sludge intended for land application. A specialist service is leaf diagnostic analysis (diagnostica fogliare) for the major crops of Sicily: citrus (agrumi), grapevine (vite), olive (ulivo), apple (melo), peach (pesco), and pear (pero), enabling growers to identify nutrient imbalances and guide precision nutrition strategies. For environmental clients the laboratory performs chemical and physical analysis of drinking water (acque destinate al consumo umano) in compliance with Italian Legislative Decree No. 31 of 2 February 2001 implementing the EU Drinking Water Directive. It also collects samples and conducts chemical and microbiological analysis of industrial wastewater (acque reflue) — both treated and untreated — from production facilities and treatment plants, with reference to Legislative Decree No. 152 of 3 April 2006 (the Italian Environmental Code) and Ministerial Decree of 12 June 2006. These regulatory frameworks govern discharge limits and monitoring obligations for industrial and civil wastewater operators across Italy. The laboratory's microbiological testing capability covers water, food, animal feed (mangimi), processing surfaces, and utensils. The analytical panel includes colony counts at 22 °C and 36 °C, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Enterococci, yeasts and moulds (lieviti e muffe), Legionella, Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococci. This comprehensive pathogen and indicator-organism panel addresses the requirements of EU food safety microbiological criteria (Regulation EC 2073/2005), drinking water regulations, and wastewater environmental monitoring programmes. CENTRO ANALISI holds ACCREDIA accreditation to the international standard UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005, demonstrating technical competence for the test methods listed in its accreditation scope and operation of a quality management system meeting internationally recognised laboratory requirements. The laboratory has received formal recognition from the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Policies (Ministero delle Politiche Agricole) and from the Sicilian Regional Department of Agriculture and Forestry (Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste – Regione Sicilia) specifically for pesticide residue analyses. Since 1994 it has served as an official analytical unit within the national Rete Nazionale di Monitoraggio Residui Fitofarmaci (National Pesticide Residue Monitoring Network) established by the Ministry of Agricultural Policies. Nearly five decades of continuous operation, ACCREDIA accreditation, and ministerial recognition collectively make CENTRO ANALISI a credible and authoritative testing partner for food, agricultural, and environmental compliance in southern Italy.