Symbio’s Research & Development (R&D) program has had enormous achievements over the years. We execute approximately 40-60 different R&D projects per year, which lead to integral improvement in our laboratory efficiency as well as the long-term sustainability of our business. Some of these critical R&D projects have led to the direct win of significant contracts, because Symbio is able to offer efficiencies and capabilities that our competitors cannot match in quality and serviceability.

Over 20 years ago, the Symbio Board of Directors recognized the importance of being vigilant about the advancement of technology and innovation, and that by undertaking strategic projects to do with innovation it would lead to exponential future growth.

Food manufacturers and regulators rely on microbiological test results to make important decisions about the quality and compliance of their products. The challenge for any testing laboratory is to provide these results in the manner that is the most accurate, yet quick and cost-effective, to help these parties make the right decisions at the right time.

In the past few years, the microbiology field has seen lot of advancement in new technologies and automated solutions. Along with our team of microbiological experts, Symbio invests extensively in R&D and the implementation of these cutting-edge technologies. We have been able to integrate these novel technologies to provide accurate, meaningful and rapid information to the industry.

Some of the current services offered by Symbio are:

• Multiplex real-time PCR based rapid testing for food & water borne pathogens;
• MALDI-TOF based rapid identification and confirmation of microbes;
• ELISA based rapid food allergen testing for labelling and compliance requirements;
• Flow cytometry based rapid milk testing;
• Whole Genome Sequencing as part of food safety management program.

To support our offer of rapid results, Symbio introduced various automated solutions across its laboratories, for example:

• Fully automated Robotic liquid handling platforms for real-time PCR based testing
• Fully automated agar plating robot for routine microbiology testing
• Automated colony counters
• Automated Milk Testing using Flow-cytometers
• Semi-automated Microplate incubator and readers for ELISA

In addition to adopting cutting-edge technology, Symbio also leveraged its IT solutions to better manage and present the client data in a personalized way to help them make timely decisions.