Testing labs in Fiorenzuola d'Arda

AAT – Advanced Analytical Technologies S.r.l. is a specialized Italian contract laboratory founded in 2005 as a spin-off of the Catholic University of Piacenza (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), located at Via Paolo Majavacca 12, in Fiorenzuola d'Arda (Piacenza), northern Italy. The company was created to respond to the rapidly growing scientific and commercial interest in functional foods, probiotics, and nutraceuticals by providing rigorously validated analytical and research services to food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical manufacturers. Its founding mission was to bridge academic microbiological science with the practical industrial need for reliable, accredited probiotic testing — a niche that at the time was severely underserved by conventional contract laboratories. The core testing service offered by AAT is the identification, characterization, and viability evaluation of probiotic bacteria in food products, dietary supplements, and pharmaceutical formulations. The laboratory specializes in the analysis of the most commercially important probiotic genera, particularly Lactobacillus (Lacticaseibacillus, Limosilactobacillus, Ligilactobacillus) and Bifidobacterium species, as well as other lactic acid bacteria used in functional food and supplement applications. Enumeration methods include culture-based colony-forming unit (CFU) counting on selective agar media, supported by flow cytometry for cell viability discrimination and molecular DNA-based approaches such as quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and digital PCR (dPCR), which allow strain-specific identification and enumeration even when closely related species are present in a mixed-strain formulation. These analytical methods are applied to tablets, capsules, sachets, fermented dairy products, beverages, infant foods, and animal feed matrices containing declared probiotic ingredients. AAT holds ISO/IEC 17025:2018 accreditation awarded by ACCREDIA, the Italian national accreditation body, under certificate number 1357L. The scope of accreditation covers microbiological test methods applied to food supplements for human consumption that are based on or contain probiotic bacteria, including culture-based counting of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli and adhesion-ability testing of probiotic strains to human cell lines. This accreditation provides customers with the independent, third-party-validated assurance required by regulatory agencies and retail buyers when substantiating the quality and label claims of probiotic products sold in Europe and internationally. One of AAT's most distinctive capabilities is its portfolio of in-vitro research models for pre-clinical studies of probiotic functionality. The laboratory has developed and, critically, accredited these in-vitro model systems under ISO/IEC 17025:2018 — making AAT, at the time of writing, the only laboratory in Europe to have obtained formal ISO 17025 accreditation for this category of tests. These models allow the study of interactions between human intestinal or skin cells, food ingredients, botanical extracts, and probiotic bacteria. Specific capabilities include adhesion and colonization assays on human intestinal cell lines, competitive exclusion testing against pathogenic bacteria, immunomodulation assessments, and barrier-integrity studies. Such in-vitro data form a critical part of the pre-clinical evidence package required when filing for health claims under EU Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 or when preparing regulatory dossiers for novel probiotic ingredients. AAT also provides analytical support to clinical trials studying the human and animal gut microbiome. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and other DNA-based molecular tools, the laboratory characterizes the composition and fluctuations of the intestinal microbiota in both healthy subjects and those undergoing treatment with pre- or probiotic supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, or specific dietary interventions. This service is offered to clinical research organizations (CROs), university research groups, and pharmaceutical companies conducting proof-of-concept or regulatory studies, and has been applied to research on conditions ranging from gastrointestinal disorders to metabolic health and immune function. Beyond pure analytics, AAT operates a dedicated R&D consulting division that supports clients throughout the full innovation cycle for probiotic and functional food products. Services include scientific strain selection — identifying superior microbial strains suited to specific target health benefits — pre-clinical functional characterization, formulation feasibility studies, design of stability protocols under accelerated and real-time conditions, and preparation of scientific dossiers for health claim applications submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The laboratory also works on skinbiotics (topically applied probiotic or microbiome-modulating ingredients for cosmetic use), extending its expertise into the cosmetics and personal care sector. AAT's scientific team has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed publications in international journals in the fields of microbiology, food science, and nutrition, contributing to the broader body of evidence on probiotic quality and functionality. AAT serves clients across the food and beverage industry, dietary supplement and nutraceutical manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, cosmetics producers, and academic or clinical research institutions across Europe and beyond. The laboratory has participated in supranational collaborative initiatives with other independent accredited testing laboratories to establish harmonized methodologies and benchmarks for probiotic quality assessment — studies subsequently published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. With over two decades of focused expertise, ISO 17025 accreditation covering both routine microbiological testing and pioneering in-vitro models, and a strong publishing record in probiotic science, AAT represents a uniquely specialized and credible analytical partner for any organization requiring rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of probiotic products or ingredients.

ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by ACCREDIA (No. 00444) testing laboratory (accreditation status: active). Located at 29017, Fiorenzuola d'Arda, Italy.