Frequently Ask Questions

Unfortunately not. Our laboratory does not accept orders from private individuals but rather only from business customers as well as public and governmental institutions.

New customers should enter their data, including the desired analysis, in the online form. You will receive a corresponding offer or price list by email within a few working days. Existing customers can submit the order analysis directly to the service laboratory via our online form. Please print out the completed form and enclose it with the sample.

Please note the corresponding offer numbers in the online form so that they can be processed.

Please enter a sample description that allows conclusions to be drawn about the sample matrix. Depending on the matrix, a different procedure may be necessary.

We are constantly expanding the range of detection methods for allergens, GMOs, micro-organisms, and viruses as well as animal and plant species. If you are interested in an analyses that is not listed in the current list, please contact us.

As a rule, the following sample quantities must be sent in:

 

• Whole grains and seeds (maize approx. 1000 g; soya approx. 700 g; canola approx. 40 g; for other plants, please contact us)
• Coarse sample materials (e.g. pellets) approx. 100 g
• Flour and starch products approx. 100 g
• Lecithins/oils approx. 50 g
• Other products usually approx. 100 g (for liquids, approx. 100 ml)
• For sample quantities for the analysis of microorganisms, please refer to the Microbiology service information
• For quantities > 1 kg and blisters with more than 100 tablets, there will be an additional charge of €30.00 (Item D0002).

Samples should be sent in unbreakable, leak-proof, and clearly marked containers. The sample containers should be shipped in appropriate transport packaging with suitable cooling materials.

Perishable sample materials must be shipped as quickly as possible while maintaining the cold chain.

Please clearly label packaging and samples that require special precautions with regard to biological safety (Safety Levels S1 and S2).

Samples that are tested for microbiological parameters are subjected to an incoming inspection. An employee will inform you of any deviations that might influence the analysis results.

Samples for microbiological analysis must be chilled (< 10°C) and samples for virus analysis must be frozen in compliance with the cold chain.

The shipping costs and/or transport charges as well as customs clearance and import duties are to be borne by the sender and/or client and not by CONGEN. The same applies to the disposal costs for samples classified as hazardous goods/special waste.

The return of outer packaging is only possible through the UPS return service at the expense of the customer.

A retention sample and the extracted nucleic acid from the homogenised sample are stored for two months and then disposed of.

The analysis times depend on the number of samples and analytes per order. On average we need 1–3 working days from receipt of the sample in our laboratory to the transmission of the test report. If an enrichment is necessary the turnaroundtime will extend accordingly. For larger order volumes, you are welcome to enquire about the expected processing time by telephone, email, or the contact form.

We would like to offer all our customers fast analysis and transmission of results. We have optimised our laboratory procedures in such a way that the results are available within 1–3 days. In exceptional cases and only after prior arrangement, the results can be transmitted within 24 h if the sample are delivered till 9 am.

You will receive the test report with the respective results for each sample in advance by email (as a PDF). The originals will be sent to you by post. If you are satisfied with the test report via email, please let us know and the originals will be filed. 

Here you will find an example of a test report.

The test report can be prepared in either German or English. For clients from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the test reports are issued in German. Clients from other countries of origin receive a test report in English. For an additional charge, the test report can be prepared in the other language.

For us, the highest quality standards and the quality features according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 9001 apply.

Regular participation in suitability tests (e.g. FAPAS, GIPSA, ISTA, and DLA) is a matter of course for us and guarantees the constant precision and performance of our analysis. By including appropriate control samples such as negative, positive, extraction, and inhibition controls, we ensure the functionality of the analytics used for each sample tested.

This depends on the verification procedure:

Real-time PCR analysis

After homogenization, each sample material is examined in duplicate. This means that two independent nucleic acid extractions are always performed per sample. Up to six detections per sample are possible.

Protein ELISA and enzymatic detection

The samples are prepared differently depending on the protein/enzyme to be examined. The preparation is carried out in duplicate.

The price includes the analysis of the original extracts and a dilution stage regardless of the process. The testing of further dilution steps leads to additional costs.