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Food testing, essential part of food safety ecosystem
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Saturday, 31 December, 2022, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr Rajesh Kshirsagar, Dr B M Patil
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Food is an integral part of everyday life; it provides nutrition and nourishment for leading a healthy life. The food that we consume should be safe in all aspects and not pose any harm to the body. For this reason, it is of paramount importance that the food production, from “farm to plate” should go through rigorous monitoring and testing, which is primarily the responsibility of the food business operators. Food safety has become an important public health issue and food testing laboratories play an important role in determining the safety and quality of the food, which in turn contributes to avoid health hazards.
Consumers also must know about the nutritional composition of food products to help them make healthy choices in daily diet. This will help them refrain from consuming the compounds they are allergic to or foods to be avoided. Nutritional labels state the nutrient composition, total calorific value, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, dietary fibre, sugars, protein, vitamins, calcium, iron and so on. Food testing gives an authenticity check which ensures the quality of the contents of the food product. In this way, food testing ensures that consumers do not become a victim of economic fraud and ensures the safety of the food consumed.
In recent years, both intentional and unintentional adulteration are reported in the entire food value chain, and detection of these substances can be possible only with high-end state-of-art food testing laboratories. It is important to maintain the general overall quality of food supply in the entire value chain, and to provide consumers with food products that are safe to consume. Hence, food testing is an essential part of the efficient production of harmless, valuable processed food products. Food testing can range from processed foods to agricultural commodities, from the field to the store. The testing can be done on raw materials, the product during its processing and production, as well as the finished products.
Process of the food manufacturing chain, food product testing is the most important step, because it determines the safety of the food for use. In India, the rules set by FSSAI are strictly monitored. Consumers stay away from food products that do not fulfil the FSSAI requirements. Food product testing is vitally necessary, to ensure that the food is free of physical, chemical, and biological hazards. Examples of potentially hazardous food contaminants include metals, e-Coli bacteria, salmonella, cleaning agents, additives, preservatives, pesticides, and more. Food product testing is the scientific analysis of food and its contents. It is done to provide information about various characteristics of food, including the structure, composition, and physicochemical properties.
Food safety is an important factor that must be considered. Food manufacturers must pay attention to the food safety of their products. This effort is to ensure the safety of customers & potential consumers. Food poisoning cases that occurred can be lessons for manufacturers to improve the wholesomeness of their products. This is because whenever there are food poisoning cases, normally there would be temporary closure of outlets or products recall from the market.
Techniques that take place in a food testing laboratory
Analytical chemistry testing: This helps to identify, separate and even find the quantity of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials in the food product such as pH, additives, nutrients, preservatives, contaminants, minerals and much more.
Microbiology testing: This food testing helps food manufacturers identify the microorganisms that inhabit the food and understand the safety of the raw materials used in food production, ingredients as well as the final product. This is also used to test and examine spoiled pathogens to prevent food poisoning outbreaks that are generally caused by the products and the ingredients used in the products. This is also a necessity otherwise the whole supply chain can be contaminated and disrupted in the process of food production, leading to not only a danger to the general public but also a hefty loss of money.
Food allergen test: Food allergens are proteins that appear in huge quantities. It helps to find the main target allergen in the ingredients and finished food product. Normally allergens are tested in food products such as peanuts, gluten in grains, eggs, nuts and milk.
Nutritional analysis: This area in food testing provides accurate information on the nutritional content of food products. This gives manufacturers the required details to include it on food packaging and ensure that they are following all compliances and labelling regulations.
The Importance of Food Laboratory in the Food Industry
In general, food laboratory plays an important role in identifying food problems. The food laboratory will help to provide valid testing result on laboratory testing parameters such as testing on Salmonella, Listeria, E. coli, Coliform, Clostridium botulinum and so on. So, food laboratory is very important to check if the foods are wholesome or not. The following are the benefits of food laboratories for the food industry:
Quality Control First, the food laboratory will help to identify contaminants in raw materials, contamination in finished goods & environment.
Product development With a food laboratory, product development process will be easier. The food laboratory will assist in shelf life studies, sensory inspection on products and so on.
Help to meet export & import standards To food exporters, this food laboratory is very important in laboratory testing food products before export. Food laboratories can help to provide certificate of analysis as a required document that states that sample is free from harmful substances such as pathogenic microbes or heavy metals.
Detection of pathogenic contamination
Food laboratories will support food manufacturers to identify the food safety testing parameters in raw materials, swab environment, ingredients and final products, thereby ensuring the wholesomeness. In order to prevent outbreaks of food poisoning, food laboratory tests microbiological, chemical & heavy metals parameters in food samples.
Testing allergens in food
Food laboratory will assist food manufacturers in finding target allergens in ingredients, raw materials & finished products. Testing for allergens in food products usually for gluten in grains, peanuts, eggs, nuts, milk and soy.
Sensory Test
Sensory testing is the testing of food samples using human senses such as sight, touch & smell. They inspect the samples’ appearance, colour, texture & smell.
Food testing and analysis is an essential part of the food safety ecosystem to assure that the food is safe to consume. For the same, FSSAI recognises and notifies NABL accredited food laboratories under Section 43 of FSS Act, 2006. FSSAI is also recognising foreign laboratories to reduce the time in clearance of food consignments at ports. FSSAI approved notified laboratories as National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and as ancillary facility of NRLs (ANRLs) for specific purpose. List of all these laboratories is given below -
Primary food laboratories
The Food Authority notifies food laboratories and research institutions accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories or any other accreditation agency for the purposes of carrying out analysis of samples by the food analysts.
Referral food laboratories
The Food Authority recognises referral food laboratories for the purposes of carrying out analysis of appeal samples. Presently there are 20 referral food laboratories.
National Reference Laboratories
FSSAI has recognised National Reference Laboratory (NRL) to set up a countrywide standard for routine procedures, validation of such standard procedure / testing methods, development of new methods and ensuring proficiency in testing across the food laboratories with special reference to the risks or food categories. Either a primary food laboratory or a referral food laboratory can be considered for declaration as NRL. Presently there are 11 NRLs and 2 ANRLs.
State food laboratories lack sophisticated analytical equipment and microbiological laboratory for testing of various safety parameters such as heavy metals, pesticide residues, antibiotic and drug residues and naturally occurring toxic substances as well as microbiological parameters. FSSAI has formulated a scheme to provide support to State Food Labs for upgrading the laboratory infrastructure along with trained manpower for utilising the sophisticated test equipment for a limited period. Thereafter, the state food testing laboratories are expected to have trained resource personnel for operation and maintenance of the sophisticated equipment and have NABL accreditation for all regulatory parameters.
Testing of food to instil confidence amongst consumers that food is safe to eat is important part of the food safety ecosystem. However, number and spread of food testing labs in the country is grossly inadequate. While, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is working towards having more food testing labs both in the public as well as private sector, it has also initiated a scheme to provide mobile units for food testing to reach out to consumers through as many touch points as possible. These mobile units are called “Food Safety on Wheels”.
It is also important to note that test results should come from a competent laboratory with appropriate technical expertise in food analysis using approved procedures and techniques. The laboratory should be accredited under a standard such as the ISO/IEC 17025, to ensure the integrity of test results.
Till recently in India, the emphasis has been on food adequacy rather than food safety. Consistent food standards are a recent development in India and the awareness of food safety has not yet penetrated the masses. Therefore, food testing laboratories play a crucial role in identifying and helping identify good and bad components in the foods that exist in the value chain.
(Kshirsagar is professor and head, and Patil is assistant professor, Department of Food Engineering, College of Food Technology,
VNMKV, Parbhani)
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