Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Presentation

PRESENTATION

The Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture is a highly specialized infrastructure unit, which has been well known in the international arena for years. The excellence and high specialty of the laboratory are reconfirmed every year after successful completion of laboratory testing in two international inter-laboratory comparisons (IOC and BIPEA). Based on the results of comparisons, showing its proficiency, the laboratory has been included every year on the list of chemical testing and sensory testing laboratories recognized by the International Olive Council (IOC) since its establishment. The laboratory personnel implement new testing methods, monitors the innovations in the field of quality assessment and fraud detection of olive oil, participates in expert committees of international organizations, and transfers knowledge from the international to the Slovenian research area.

The importance of the laboratory is defined in the agriculture strategy by 2020. The Laboratory successfully combines the usefulness of research equipment and personnel for state tasks in the field of official control/conformity assessment of olive oil. Laboratory activity is also included in the Slovenian metrology strategy until 2025 (in Slovene) to ensure traceability in the Republic of Slovenia, both in priority and in niche areas. The laboratory performs the tasks of the holder of the national standard for the amount of substance (mol)/organic compounds in biological matrices/food and performs the tasks of the holder in the framework of the Metrology Act. It is active in the international arena as it participates in the international metrology infrastructure. The laboratory provides research support to national and international projects. It promotes scientific cooperation and cooperation between different stakeholders, maintains a database of Slovenian olive oils since 1994, permanently educates its personnel and upgrades analytical equipment.

Livade 6
SI – 6310 IZOLA
Slovenia

(Google maps app lists an incorrect address Livade 4)

Head: Milena Bučar Miklavčič, PhD

E-mail: info.izo@zrs-kp.si
Phone: +386 5 611 79 31

Staff

STAFF

Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Milena Bučar Miklavčič PhD

Development Counsellor

Head of Laboratory

Phone: +386 5 611 79 36

milena.bucarmiklavcic@zrs-kp.si

Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Erika Bešter PhD

Research Assistant

Phone: +386 5 611 79 30

erika.bester@zrs-kp.si

Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Katja Fičur

Independent Professional Associate

Phone: +386 5 611 79 31

katja.ficur@zrs-kp.si

Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Gašper Kozlovič

Independent Professional Associate - Analyst

Phone: +386 5 633 77 75

gasper.kozlovic@zrs-kp.si

Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Vasilij Valenčič PhD

Research Associate

Phone: +386 5 611 79 30

vasilij.valencic@zrs-kp.si

Laboratory of the Institute for Oliveculture

Saša Volk

Independent Professional Associate

Phone: +386 5 611 79 30

sasa.volk@zrs-kp.si

RESEARCH EQUIPMENT

Akreditiran laboratorij LPO zagotavlja kakovost in sledljivost kemijskega in senzoričnega preskušanja na nacionalnem in mednarodnem nivoju ter sodeluje in vzdržuje nosilstvo nacionalnega etalona veličine mol/množina snovi za vrsto vzorca oljčno olje.

Laboratorij je kot nosilec nacionalnega etalona v okviru projekta »Infrastruktura meroslovnega sistema-množina snovi/Hrana rastlinskega izvora/oljčno olje« ob sofinanciranju s strani Evropskega sklada za regionalni razvoj dobil v upravljanje tekočinski kromatograf s tandemskim masnim detektorjem (LC/MS/MS) in plinski kromatograf opremljen z nastavkom za injiciranje v hladnem (GC-Cool On Column). Nova oprema je bila dana v upravljanje na podlagi pogodbe o brezplačni uporabi, sklenjene med Laboratorijem in investitorjem (Republika Slovenija, Ministrstvo za gospodarstvo razvoj in tehnologijo, Urad RS za meroslovje).

Tekočinski kromatograf s tandemskim masnim detektorjem (LC/MS/MS) je sestavljen iz elementov: visokozmogljivi tekočinski kromatograf (HPLC), tandemski masni spektrometer v konfiguraciji kvadrupol-kvadrupol-kvadrupol (QQQ), sistem za oskrbo s plini, dodatni material in pribor za sprotno oskrbo/vzdrževanje sistema ter verificirana in validirana programska oprema. Plinski kromatograf, opremljen z nastavkom za injiciranje v hladnem (GC-Cool On Column) in z injektorjem za avtomatsko injiciranje, je sestavljen iz elementov: plinski kromatograf, sistem za avtomatski vnos tekočega vzorca ter kvalificirana in verificirana računalniška programska in strojna oprema. GC-Cool On Column omogoča avtomatsko on line derivatizacijo.

Laboratorij kot nosilec nacionalnega etalona za množino snovi v hrani rastlinskega izvora (v oljčnem olju) z različnimi aktivnostmi zagotavlja sledljivost na mednarodno raven. Zakonodaja o oljčnem olju (Uredba komisije (EGS) št. 2568/91 o značilnostih oljčnega olja in olja iz oljčnih tropin ter o ustreznih analiznih metodah) se nenehno posodablja in dopolnjuje z novimi analiznimi metodami, ki jih moramo implementirati tudi v našem laboratoriju. Svojo usposobljenost vsakoletno dokazujemo z uspešnim sodelovanjem v mednarodnih medlaboratorijskih primerjavah in z rednimi analizami referenčnih vzorcev. S sodelovanjem v ring testih v organizaciji Mednarodnega sveta za oljkarstvo aktivno sodelujemo pri validaciji novih ali posodobljenih preskusnih metod, ki se kasneje, če se v testih izkažejo za primerne, vključijo v evropsko zakonodajo. Sodelujemo pa tudi v nacionalnih in mednarodnih raziskovalnih projektih na področju oljčnega olja. Izvajanje vseh teh dejavnosti ne bi bilo mogoče brez ustrezne sodobne analitske opreme. Nov plinski in tekočinski kromatograf sta pomembni pridobitvi, ki ju v LPO uporabljamo pri vseh opisanih aktivnostih.