Food, Farm and Herbal Products

The section dealing with the food and farm products focuses on the following thrust areas :

• Quality evaluation of various raw and processed food products
• Quality evaluation of food additives and food packaging materials
• Method development and validation of analytical techniques
• Studies on product differentiation
• Shelf life / stability studies of products at both ambient and accelerated conditions
• Inspection and certification of product quality
• Certification of packaging materials for food products
• Certification of materials used for serving food products
• Certification of organic food
• Evaluation of contaminants in foods
• Development of food products for special purpose

• Functional foods
• Milk and dairy products
• Spices and Condiments
• Raw and processed fruits and vegetables
• Cereals and pulses
• Sugar and confectionery
• Food additives

• Vegetable oils and fats
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
• Meat and meat products
• Egg and poultry products
• Food packaging materials
• Marine products
• Beverages including alcoholic

What do you mean by quality of food ?
Quality of food can be defined as specific criteria, which can be taken into account for a particular food to be used for an intended purpose.

What are the various factors which contribute towards quality of food ?
The various factors contributing towards quality of food are :

• Appearance
• Colour
• Taste
• Odour

• Nutritional value
• Adulterants
• Contaminants (Physical, Chemical & Microbiological)
• Hygiene

Why is it necessary to analyze and certify food products before or after processing ?
It is necessary to analyze and certify food products before or after processing :
» To know the quality of raw materials and final products,
» To understand occurrence of any physicochemical changes during processing or storage, and
» To ensure purity, freshness and safety of the food products at the time of consumption.

• Bureau of Indian Standards
• Agricultural Markings
• Prevention of Food Adulteration Act
• Fruit Product Order
• Association of Official Analytical Chemists International
• American Association of Cereal Chemists
• American Oil Chemist's Society

• American Spice Trade Association
• American Dry Products Institute
• American Public Health Association
• SriLanka Standard Institution
• In-house validated methods and procedures
• Party's specifications

What are various parameters evaluated for certifying quality of food ?
In order to ensure the right quality of various food products, several parameters are evaluated as given below :