FSSAI, top food regulator of the nation has informed Centre for Food Research and Analysis (CFRA), National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM) and designated them as food laboratory in recent gazetted notification.
Authority also demarcated the scope of examination and test the institutes will be performing. CFRA’s test area includes chemical analysis and safety parameters of cereals and cereal products, edible oils and fats, fruit and vegetable products, nut and nut products, water, beverages (other than dairy and fruits and vegetable based), says the notification.
CFRA, NIFTEM is an accredited state-of-art well established analytical laboratory with integrated assessment from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and FSSAI have the capabilities of not just carrying out quality control and certification of food products at different stage of supply chain but also provides technical support mated to analytical studies to food processing industries.
Manjeet Agarwal, head CFRA, NIFTEM, told FnB News, “The lab also helps in developing standards and test protocols for various quality parameters essential for both raw and processed products for the domestic and international market.”
According to Agarwal, The CFRA undertakes projects to provide solutions to the problems being faced by the food industry related to their requirements.
Agarwal added, “The objective of CFRA include studies for quality certification of raw and processed foods tor physico chemical, nutritional, microbiological and sensory parameters, safety evaluation of food products with respect to residues of various toxicants and contaminants and presence of adulterants, new analytical method development and validation, residual and persistence studies of agrochemicals in crops, water and soil, shelf life and its enhancement, development and characterization of new packaging material and studies on food packaging interactions and compatibility, analytical data related to development and improvements/modifications of products and processes studies related to development of nutraceuticals, functional foods and studies for food fortification.”
