Elaboración del plan de funcionamiento del Laboratorio de Control de Calidad para una planta de procesamiento de quinua

Abstract

The objective of this work was to develop a quality control laboratory operation plan for a quinoa processing plant, it was carried out in two stages, the first one the diagnosis of the current situation of the laboratory, based on these results the second stage was done, the operation plan taking into account Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). For this, interviews were carried out with the person in charge of quality of the company by digital means, on the current operation of the laboratory, using the checklist of compliance with the GLP requirements, the plant sketch, photographs of the laboratory, inventory of equipment and materials, and relevant documentation. The information obtained shows that the laboratory must improve in the aspects: workspace, personnel, organizational system within the laboratory, equipment and materials. Regarding the service of the laboratory, it performs tests on the raw material: organoleptic, humidity, perigonium, impurities, presence of insects, grain size and saponin; it evaluates humidity in finished product. Bromatological and microbiological tests are performed once a calendar year on the recommendation of the relevant body and are sent to external laboratories. Based on these results, it was proceeded to carry out an improvement plan that includes the procedures and work instructions that ensure proper functioning of the laboratory, these were ordered in a Basic GLP Manual, in addition, microbiological quality control tests and Ochratoxin tests were included, to run in the lab. Finally, the budget to accomplish the quality tests added to the internal protocol was calculated at an approximate cost of $ 5,812.35 dollars. The application of the improvements in the laboratory is recommended in order to verify the control of the process carried out in the company.