Endotoxin Testing
Endotoxins are toxic components found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. They can contaminate water, medical devices, and clinical solutions and may cause fever, inflammation, or severe reactions in patients if present above allowable limits. The Endotoxin Test ensures the safety and microbiological quality of water used in healthcare applications.
Click here to learn more. Consultancy Services
In addition to delivering a broad portfolio of routine, internationally standardized analyses, LEAF also provides advanced consultancy services comparable to those of leading global reference laboratories. These services are specifically designed for complex samples and non-routine cases that require custom method development, validation, and analytical problem-solving beyond standard testing protocols.
LEAF offers expert consultancy on analytical strategy, method selection, matrix-specific optimization, and data interpretation, supporting clients across food, environmental, agricultural, and forensic domains. Consultancy services are provided through structured engagements and by appointment, ensuring dedicated expert attention and traceable technical decision-making.
For forensic or legally sensitive cases, LEAF applies stringent confidentiality protocols consistent with international best practice. Such cases are subject to internal ethical and legal review, coordinated with the Legal team at the American University of Beirut, prior to acceptance, to ensure full compliance with legal, institutional, and evidentiary standards.
This combination of scientific depth, regulatory awareness, and institutional independence positions LEAF as a trusted advisory partner—offering not only test results, but defensible, decision-ready scientific guidance aligned with international norms.
For more information, contact us at [email protected].Analytical Services
LEAF is equipped with state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation and methodologies for the extraction, digestion, detection, and identification of a wide range of inorganic and organic chemical constituents. Our analytical portfolio spans environmental, agricultural, food, industrial, and biological matrices. It is comparable to those offered by internationally recognized reference laboratories such as SGS, Eurofins, and Bureau Veritas in terms of technical scope and quality systems. LEAF’s multidisciplinary capacity enables testing across a broad set of applications:
- Environmental Monitoring: Detection of contaminants in water, wastewater, soil, compost, and air.
- Food and Agri-Food Analysis: Quality and safety testing of raw, processed, and canned products, including nutritional labeling, pesticide residues, heavy metals, colorants, allergens, and mycotoxins.
- Industrial Matrices: Analysis of non-edible oils (e.g., gasoline, diesel, industrial lubricants), materials, and by-products relevant to regulatory and safety evaluations.
- Advanced Food Chemistry and Microbiology: Comprehensive assays for microbial contamination, nutritional profiling, and emerging analytes.
- Pharmaceutical, Occupational, and Public Health Testing: Including organic acids, trace and heavy metals, exposure biomarkers (e.g., nicotine, cotinine, 1-HOP), and a suite of toxicants in biological specimens such as blood, urine, hair, and other tissues.
LEAF’s services have played a critical role in the national response and applied research following the August 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion, during which the laboratory undertook extensive testing to support food safety assessments and environmental monitoring in collaboration with public institutions, including the Ministry of Economy and Trade and the Ministry of Environment. LEAF also contributed to testing to support grain treatment programs and broader risk assessments after this catastrophic event. In 2023 alone, LEAF conducted tests on many soil, water, and plant samples, including analyses of the blast’s aftermath, cholera, and biological contaminants in water, and nationwide dialysate water testing for endotoxins in hospitals – establishing the laboratory as a go-to resource for complex, high-impact analytical work.
Beyond routine testing, LEAF routinely develops custom analytical methods for samples that require significant method adaptation or innovation. Client consultancy for analytical strategy, matrix-specific methodology, and complex problem resolution is offered by appointment and is conducted with the same quality discipline that underpins accredited testing. For forensic or legally sensitive analyses, LEAF applies strict confidentiality and institutional review protocols before sample acceptance, ensuring that data are scientifically defensible and compliant with legal and regulatory frameworks. LEAF’s analytical services thus combine robust scientific capability, international benchmarking, and responsive service models tailored to the evolving needs of industry, government, and research partners in Lebanon and the region.
Specimen Collection and Submission
- Specimens should be submitted to the Laboratory Services at LEAF located in Room 303, 3rd floor, CCC–SRB Building on AUB Campus, Bliss Street, Hamra.The closest campus access points are the Medical Gate and the Women’s Dorms Gate (also known as Corporation Yard Gate).
Consult the laboratory at +961 1 350000, ext. 4824, for proper sample collection and delivery.
Reports can be collected from LEAF within 15 working days or emailed to the contact person within the same period.
Pricing is provided upon request by email. For price quotations, contact us at [email protected].
Proficiency Testing and Performance Evaluation
Performance evaluation is a core component of LEAF’s Quality Assurance (QA) system and is implemented through a structured internal and external proficiency testing (PT) program. These activities are designed to continuously assess both the technical performance of analytical systems and the competency of laboratory personnel, ensuring that all generated data meet the laboratory’s defined objectives for accuracy, precision, and reproducibility, in line with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements.
Internal Proficiency Testing Program
LEAF conducts internal proficiency testing weekly and monthly, depending on the analytical scope and method criticality. Certified reference materials and commercial proficiency samples are routinely analyzed as blind samples to verify method performance, analyst competency, and instrument reliability. These materials are sourced from internationally recognized providers, including APG and Absolute Standards (USA), among others. Results are systematically evaluated, documented, trended over time, and reviewed as part of continuous improvement and corrective action processes.
External Proficiency Testing Program
To independently verify analytical accuracy and ensure international comparability of results, LEAF actively participates in international interlaboratory comparisons and external proficiency testing schemes offered by accredited providers. Participation is selected based on the laboratory’s analytical scope and matrix relevance and includes:
- AQUACHECK International Proficiency Testing (Europe – Cyprus, UK, Germany) – Participation in chemical proficiency testing schemes covering organic and inorganic analytes in water, wastewater, soil, and sediment matrices, enabling external benchmarking against international laboratories.
- Eurofins Proficiency Testing Programs – External PT for microbiological analysis in food and water, including pathogenic organisms and quality indicator microorganisms tested in matrices such as vegetables, fruit purees, canned meats, baby food, and drinking water.
- College of American Pathologists (CAP) – Participation in environmental and clinical PT schemes. Samples are prepared and extracted at LEAF, with bacterial and mold identification conducted in collaboration with the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), ensuring clinical-grade validation and cross-institutional quality assurance.
Results from all external PT schemes are rigorously reviewed, statistically evaluated, and incorporated into management reviews and method performance assessments. Any deviations trigger documented root-cause analysis and corrective actions, reinforcing LEAF’s commitment to continuous quality improvement and international best practices. Through this comprehensive proficiency testing framework, LEAF ensures sustained confidence in its analytical outputs and maintains alignment with global standards for laboratory competence and data integrity.
