Herbal Product Testing Services

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 :