“Your trusted analytical partner for agriculture, industry, and environment — reliable, rigorous, responsive.”
The Central Laboratory stands at the heart of Jamaica’s sugar industry as its premier analytical hub. It carries out a full suite of quality control and assurance tests that support both agricultural and manufacturing operations needed for commercial sugar production and export. With modern upgrades and expanded capacity, the lab is specially equipped to serve cane growers, factories, and external clients.
Our mission is to deliver fast, reliable, and precise results to all stakeholders, achieved through continuous enhancement of our quality management systems, conformance to international standards, and rigorous laboratory best practices.
Testing Services
We provide comprehensive testing in several distinct but interrelated areas:
Sugar Analysis
Polarization (to determine sucrose content), moisture, reducing sugars, grain size, insoluble solids, conductivity ash, dextran, starch, and colour (whole raw and affined).
Molasses Analysis
Hydrometric and refractometric Brix, polarization, and conductivity ash.
Soil Analysis
Evaluating pH, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphate, nitrogen, boron, organic matter, mechanical analysis (determination of soil types), electrical conductivity, salinity, sodium absorption ratio (SAR), and cation exchange capacity (CEC).
Water & Wastewater Testing
Measuring pH, electrical conductivity, major cations (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+), SAR, major anions (CO32-, HCO3-, Cl-), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrates (NO3-), phosphates (PO43-), sulphates (SO42-), alkalinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and total suspended solids (TSS).
Beyond the Sugar Industry
While primarily supporting sugar factories, the Central Laboratory also extends its services to private agricultural clients and government agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Mining — for soil testing, irrigation water assessment, and wastewater monitoring.
Our Team
Day-to-day leadership of the laboratory lies with the Senior Laboratory Analyst, who oversees technical, administrative, and strategic operations. She is assisted by the Laboratory Analyst, who handles routine testing, and the Laboratory Assistant, responsible for sample preparation and laboratory cleanliness.
Salina Campbell
Oversees technical, administrative, and strategic operations of the Central Laboratory.
Rasheed Whyte
Handles routine testing across sugar, molasses, soil, water, and wastewater samples.
Tracey Campbell
Responsible for sample preparation and laboratory cleanliness.
Training & Capacity Building
In addition to its core services, the lab supports training and capacity building: it offers internship placements to students from various educational institutions to gain hands-on experience and strengthen skills in analytical science.
Through strict adherence to local and global standards, the Central Laboratory plays a pivotal role in maintaining Jamaica’s sugar industry reputation and competitiveness. Its work ensures that sugar and its by-products meet export specifications, while also contributing analytical support to agriculture, environmental management, and water resources across the island.