Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the upgraded microbiology section of the Food Analysis Laboratory at Race Course in Coimbatore via offline mode.
According to the district administration, the microbiological section with 1,350 sq. ft has been upgraded under the centrally sponsored scheme as a turnkey project at a cost of ₹ 4.63 crore.
The microbiology section of the laboratory, which was started in 2013, analyses food samples for microbiological parameters. The laboratory is equipped with the latest equipment and will function with trained microbiologists and paramedical staff. The samples will be processed in unidirectional flow in order to get accurate results and avoid contamination, said a release.
The Food Analysis Laboratory, Coimbatore, was started in 1970 as the Regional Public Health Laboratory, to analyse milk, cereals, and cereal products in the region. After the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSA), 2006 came into force, the laboratory started analysing all food products listed under the FSA, covering both chemical and microbiological parameters, the release said.
At present the laboratory analyses legal samples of four districts, namely Chennai, Thoothukudi, Virudhunagar and Tiruchi and reports the samples to the respective Designated Officers for legal actions. Along with the legal samples, the laboratory also analyses surveillance samples, quality control samples, ICDS/ noon meal samples, hospital samples and private samples.
The laboratory, with a team comprising senior analyst, junior analyst, and lab technicians, analyses 500 to 600 samples a month. It also offers proximate analysis (protein, fat, crude fibre, etc) along with the estimation of preservatives by using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument, added synthetic food colour by using UV spectroscopy and heavy metals by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instrument, the release said.
The laboratory is accredited and certified by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in 2021 for food and agriculture products. It received NABL- FSSAI integrated certificate in 2023.
