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Cheaper Quality Tests for Food & Pharma
20 Sep
Summary
- Indigenous reference materials will save foreign exchange.
- New materials are one-fifth the market price.
- CRMs ensure product quality and global acceptance.
Scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) are creating essential Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for heavy metals, pesticides, and pharma-grade castor oil. These CRMs are vital for the food and pharmaceutical sectors, enabling precise testing of everyday products for contaminants and ensuring compliance with quality benchmarks.
Currently, India relies on costly imported CRMs, hindering standardization and quality assessment. The development of indigenous CRMs is projected to significantly reduce expenses, with initial estimates placing them at approximately one-fifth of current market prices. This initiative aims to save substantial foreign exchange and foster economic expansion.
These CRMs are instrumental in verifying label accuracy, assessing nutritional value, characterizing materials, and detecting adulterants. CSIR-IITR is actively preparing CRMs for various applications, including single and multi-element solutions, pesticide mixtures, and fatty acid ester and aflatoxin mixtures. Heavy metal CRMs for substances like cadmium, arsenic, and lead are also in development.
Upon completion, these domestically produced CRMs will diminish dependence on foreign imports. This will not only provide industries with more affordable and accessible testing solutions but also bolster research efforts within academic institutions and the broader industrial landscape, ensuring globally acceptable product quality.
