"Labs have a critical role to play in supporting research"

It is key that a food testing facility in India is not only accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), but also be recognised by the country's apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and TUV India Pvt. Ltd, a leading food analysis facility, is doing its bit towards making this possible. V K Gupta, GM, lab services, TUV India Pvt. Ltd (a part of the Pune-based TUV NORD Group), shares details with Harcha Bhaskar. Excerpts:

What are the tests that are conducted in your lab and accreditations?
TUV India Pvt. Ltd is accredited under ISO 17025 in both the chemical and microbiological fields by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The facility is also recognised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Agmark. The fact that India is a leading exporter of agricultural produce to the world, especially the European countries, mandates the certificate by APEDA, which is issued after the produce intended for export has been tested.

TUV India specialises in the safety and nutritional analysis of food. Nutritional analysis consists of nutritional labelling, as you can see on food packets. It consist of tests like protein, fat, energy, carbohydrates, sodium content, cholesterol, sugar and fatty acid profiles like PUFA (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids), MUFA (Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids), SF (saturated fats) and trans-fats. The nutritional labels on food packets provide the consumers information about the content of the food. The other information related to nutritional parameters covers amino acid profiling, vitamins (both water-soluble and oil-soluble), minerals, sugar profiling, etc.

The safety testing of food consists of tests like pesticide residues, antibiotic residues, mycotoxins like aflatoxins, ochratoxins, food allergens, naturally-occurring toxic substances (NOTS), banned dyes like Sudan Red, Malachite Green and Crystal Violet; poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), poly-cyclic biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals and so on.

The upper limit of these molecules has been regulated in various national and international specifications, as most of these substances are highly toxic and many of them are carcinogenic. Equipped with the most advanced analytical equipment in the world, our laboratory is able to support both exporters and buyers to meet the stringent international norms.

Safety of food packaging is a new area which requires immediate national attention. There are various international specifications, particularly in the United States and Europe. Food can be contaminated from or through the packaging. TUV India conducts tests as per international specifications for global and specific migration tests.

To ensure that the certificate issued by the laboratory is accurate and accepted throughout the international community, TUV India uses state-of-the-art analytical techniques like LC-Q-ToF, LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, ICP-OES, GC-MS/MS, GC-MS/HS, HPLC-ELSD/PDA/UV/Fluorescence; and follows a three-tier quality system by ensuring the accuracy of the data generated through participation in international proficiency testing/round-robin tests, replicate testing and internal quality audits.

What are the findings of the most recent tests on food and beverages?
There is increased demand for nutritional labelling since the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, has come into force. Consumers were ignorant about what they were consuming when labelling was not a must. The new Act – which replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA), 1954 – has helped them by mandating the basic information, which essentially promotes consumer rights and awareness. Similarly, more new substances are found to be toxic, and their maximum residue limits (MRLs) are being regulated. These MRLs reduce with time and the availability of highly-sensitive instrumental techniques. There have been instances of widespread food safety issues such as the presence of melamine in dairy products and ethoxyquin in apple juice.

How do labs ensure food safety at different stages of food production?
TUV India supports farmers, exporters and consumers at every stage of food production.

Farm production: TUV India provides certification for Global Gap and organic produce to the farmers, so that they can compete in the international market and get a better price for their produce. The lab ensures that all the agricultural inputs like fertilisers, pesticides, soil and water meet the requirements. The final produce of the farmer is also tested for residual pesticides, heavy metals, etc. wherever required

Food processing: As the demand for processed foods, RTE (ready-to-eat) and RTC (ready-to-cook) is increasing due to various socio-economic issues and improvement in economy, manufacturing companies are introducing novel products to cater to the wide tastes of the Indian consumers, both in India and abroad. A wide range of new products are being introduced by various manufacturers. Laboratories have a critical role to play in supporting research and development and for analysing the shelf life of the products and the safety of the packaging used

Transportation and logistics: India lacks a comprehensive cold chain system and proper packaging techniques, which causes losses worth crores to the producer and the national economy. Therefore, we help in ensuring product safety with respect to analysis of microbiological spoilage and physical damage caused during transportation.

Retail outlets: Apart from product shelf life studies, nutritional labelling and safety of food packaging, we also perform analysis of market samples to understand the impact of actual storage conditions in retail outlets, thus ensuring safety of the food for the consumers right up to the last mile

In what food products is adulteration at its highest?
Food adulteration continues to be a concern in milk and milk products, banned colours and dyes used in spices, uncontrolled use of growth promoters, and pesticides and other chemicals at the farm level.

Does adulteration take place at the manufacturing level or at the retail level?
While there is some amount of adulteration at the manufacturing level, it is also seen during transit and storage.

What are the latest machines used for testing in India?
The new chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques like LC-Q-ToF , LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, GC-MS, which are confirmatory techniques with very high sensitivities, are being used in India. These are next-generation techniques, as the earlier techniques like HPLC, GC , ICP-OES were comparative techniques and were not that sensitive.

Do Indian laboratories have to import testing machines?
Yes, there are a few Indian manufacturers, but meeting the latest international specifications necessitates the import of high-end testing instruments and machinery.

How many times is a food safety audit recommended for food products?
For high-risk products, it is recommended to carry out the safety audit twice a year. For all other products, one annual food safety audit is good enough. However, when the quality is not consistent or the requirements are critical, the frequency of food safety audit may be increased.

Are Indian food labs well-equipped to test contamination in the packaging material used for food products and cold storage units?
Yes. The facilities are available with some of the good labs like TUV India. Apart from physical tests, greater competence is required for global and specific migration tests.

What are the various tests done on beverages?
For beverages, the important ingredients are water, sugar, fruit juices and preservatives. Therefore the microbiological safety for the absence of food pathogens, the fruit juice content, the level of residual pesticides, vitamins, sugars, essential minerals and various other tests are required.