Laboratory for the Preparation and Production of Reference Materials (or Preparative Laboratory and Reference Materials) supports One Health activities by preparing representative samples of water, soil, food, and food contact materials.
It produces materials containing defined amounts of contaminants, nutrients, or microplastics, establishes their preparation and storage conditions, and verifies their homogeneity and stability.
Characterizing materials and assigning reference values along with their associated uncertainty enables the development and validation of analytical methods and allows for the comparison of results across laboratories. The laboratory also prepares model samples to study the migration of substances from packaging into food and contributes to the organization of interlaboratory comparisons.
The facility is equipped with technical workbenches, fume hoods, and ventilated storage cabinets for handling solvents and reagents. Instrumentation includes high-precision analytical balances including one with a resolution of 10⁻⁷ g homogenizers, mixers, centrifuges, and presses for matrix processing and model system preparation. Rotary evaporators and freeze-dryers (lyophilizers) allow for extract concentration and the treatment of heat-sensitive samples, while ovens, temperature-controlled furnaces, and ultrasonic baths support sample preparation, migration testing, and packaging degradation studies.
Accurate preparation, extraction, and purification are essential for measuring organic and inorganic contaminants, studying the speciation of chemical elements, and performing metabolomic and proteomic analyses.
The laboratory thus provides a reliable foundation for exposure assessment, food authenticity verification, and fraud monitoring. The quality of these materials and measurement procedures helps ensure data comparability for food safety, environmental sustainability, and the protection of human and animal health