Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is set to operationalise a ₹25-crore ultra-modern food laboratory at Tirumala to ensure the safety and quality of prasadam and food served to pilgrims.
Medical and health minister Satya Kumar Yadav said the facility, equipped with advanced testing instruments including Electronic Tongue (e-Tongue) and Electronic Nose (e-Nose) machines imported from France, will begin operations next month. Installation work is nearly 90 per cent complete.
The laboratory will test around 60 raw materials used in preparing Srivari prasadam, including ghee, dry fruits, pulses, spices and sugar, besides finished prasadam, food items and water supplied to devotees. The e-Tongue and e-Nose systems, procured at an additional cost of `3.5 crore, can detect even minute quality variations and adulteration in ghee.
The project follows directions from Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. On the State’s request, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) sanctioned ₹23 crore. An agreement between the State Health Department and FSSAI was signed in New Delhi on October 8, 2024.
A renovated 12,000 sq. ft. two-storey building at the Tirumala flour mill premises will house the lab. It will conduct microbiology, chemistry and sensory analysis, including tests for pesticide residues, heavy metals, microbes and antibiotics. About 50 instruments and 40 personnel from the Health Department and TTD will manage operations.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
