Tailor-made analytics from the Adlershof-based testing institute PiCA
In conversation with Andreas Mattulat, food chemist and CEO
If you voluntarily get out of bed at 6 am to drive to your office in Adlershof, you are either an early bird or really enjoy what you’re doing. The latter is true for Andreas Mattulat. He is the founder and head of PiCA Prüfinstitut Chemische Analytik GmbH, whose fascination for chemistry started in 10th grade. This passion endures to this day although he hardly gets to work in a laboratory anymore.
He completed his first business plan as early as 1997. However, it was the imminent sale of the Adlershof-based company Sofia GmbH, where he worked for five years, that pushed him to become an entrepreneur himself. That was in 2003, when PiCa was born. The company grew quickly - from two to almost 50 employees – and so did the demand for analytics services, a booming industry. This fact is underscored by the growing multitude of laboratories that are organised in the Analytic City Adlershof. The 55-year-old head of PiCa is not afraid of burn-out. He recharges his energy in the mountains of Tyrol or while canoeing on the many lakes and rivers surrounding Berlin.
Fipronil in chicken eggs, glycol in wine – food-related scandals are always in the news. Are you careful what you eat?
No, I eat what I want in moderation. I call that risk distribution. However, my diet is characterised by fresh seasonal products.
Food recalls are an almost daily phenomenon. What are the reasons for that?
We never tested our food as much as we do today. Numerous checks and better analytics have led to an increase in positive results. Most manufacturers act with due diligence and call back products with health risks just to be on the safe side. Nobody wants to risk a food-safety scandal.
What exactly does PiCa test?
We are a private and independent lab service provider and provide our customers with analytic-chemical testing. Our core business is product analytics, which includes testing food packaging, toys, food, cosmetics and textiles for undesirable residues and valuable components. We also do environmental and indoor analysis.
Can I use your services as a private individual?
Of course, however, private persons account only for a fraction of our sales. People looking to renovate their attics or buy real estate, I would recommend testing for contamination from wood preservatives or other pollutants.
What does such pollutant testing cost?
This depends on the nature and extent of the testing. Our services start at 80€.
There are several analytics providers in Adlershof. What does PiCa focus on?
As an accredited specialist analytics provider, we don’t have many standard testing procedures and instead develop tailor-made analytics for our customers. This is the main reason for the high percentage of academics among our staff, which is over 50 percent. Most recently, we expanded our portfolio by including analytics of pesticides in foods such as tea, herbs, hops and oil.
How do you recruit young talent?
We offer internships and work in close cooperation with the Emil-Fischer-Schule und Lise-Meitner-Schule, two secondary schools in Berlin, and the Technical University Berlin. Students can write their BA, MA and PhD thesis with us. We are currently planning to offer apprenticeships together with other companies.
Where do you see PiCa in ten years’ time?
I am expecting PiCa to continue growing. We might also have our own laboratories by then.
What do you do in your free time?
I love to spend time outside, hiking and watching animals. There is no place like the top of a mountain in Tyrol for unwinding. I also love canoeing on one of the many rivers and lakes around Berlin.
Do food chemists also enjoy cooking?
Me? Absolutely! I love trying new things. I also love cooking Asian food.
Interview by Sylvia Nitschke for Adlershof Journal