Although Maggi samples in the State that were tested in a second private NABL-accredited laboratory have cleared the lead and arsenic tests, the presence of glutamic acid in the samples have left officials confused.
Unable to come to a conclusion, the officials have now sent the report to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for clarification and further guidance. According to the directions from the FSSAI, officials had asked the laboratory to detect the levels of lead, arsenic and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the samples. However, the report has revealed the presence of glutamic acid, which is an amino acid found in abundance in both plant and animal protein.
FSSAI deputy director H.S. Shivakumar said glutamic acid is one of the components of MSG. “However, we do not have any clear guidelines in the Food Safety and Standards Act on what to infer from the presence of glutamic acid in the samples. So we have now sent the report to the FSSAI for clarification and further guidance,” he said.
The second test done at TUV SUD India Pvt. Ltd., one of the six NABL-accredited laboratories in the city, was submitted to the Health Department on Tuesday.
