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.
Various factors contributes 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
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
Categories of food products
- Functional foods
- Milk and dairy products
- Spices and Condiments
- Raw and processed fruits and vegetables
- Cereals and pulses
- Sugar, Honey and confectionery
- Stimulant Foods like Tea, Coffee, Cocoa etc
- Food additives
- Vegetable oils and fats
- Essential Oils
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
- Meat and meat products
- Egg and poultry products
- Food packaging materials
- Marine products
- Tobacco & Tobacco Products
- Soaps & Detergents
- Cosmetics & Toiletries
- Animal Feed
Quality Norms and Protocols:
Analysis is done as per both National and International Standards with the following major protocols :
- Bureau of Indian Standards
- Agricultural Marketing
- Food Safety & standards Act 2006, Rules & Regulations 2011
- 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
