Food Testing Labs Bear a Heavy Responsibility on Their Shoulders

Posted by Vivekk on August 10th, 2018

As consumers, we so lovingly pick up a bottle of jam or a cup of ice cream from a supermarket and relish it with our families. Little do we worry about their acidity level or pH balance, simply because we trust the brands to deliver us a good product. But whom do the brands trust to keep a check on quality? It’s the job of the food testing labs to test processed food in multiple ways to ensure it is safe and good for consumption.

Understanding processed food:

The consumption of processed food by Indian consumers and those around the world, in general, has shot up many folds in the past couple of decades. With the exploding demand, we have seen production multiply as well. From dairy products to snacks, baked food, processed nonvegetarian items, instant food, oil, prices and condiments, the list and variety of processed food available on the shelves is endless. It is mandatory for every processed food manufacturer to avail the services of a certified food testing lab in Delhi for quality and nutritional value of their products.

 Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI):

FSSAI is a centralized statutory body who is responsible for quality control of processed food in India. Every food manufacturer should abide by the food grade and safety regulations put forth by this authority before they offer their products to consumers. There are a handful of foodtesting laboratory labs in India who are certified by FSSAI to test food and give their approval.

 The process of food testing:

The entire process of food testing is divided into 3 broad categories. These include microbial, physical, and chemical testing.

Microbial testing: This is critical in ensuring that any food product is free from disease-causing microbes as well as microbes that spoil food. The main aim of food testing labis to prevent foodborne diseases. This essentially means that in order for microbial testing to be effective, it should be carried out in a very controlled and precise manner so as to identify all possible microorganisms in a food product.

Physical tests: Food products are tested to ensure consistency in 3 physical parameters, namely color, viscosity, and texture. In color testing, thefood testing labs measure the color of food products against certain standards. In texture testing, food products are tested for any discrepancies in texture since texture plays a huge role when it comes to influencing taste. Finally, the viscosity test examines food products like oil, honey, juices, and so on that are fluid in nature for their thickness and consistency.

Chemical testing: The third main category of testing is the chemical testing of food products. It is a method followed by the food testing laboratory in India to test the presence of harmful chemicals such as insecticides, pesticides, and so on in processed food. Although unseen to the naked eye, these chemicals are highly hazardous for consumers’ health.

Thus a great responsibility of safety and wellbeing of processed food consumers rests on the shoulders of food testing labs and we should be deeply thankful to them.