Food-testing lab to come up at technical university
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, October 3
In a first among the technical universities of the state, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, (MRSPTU), Bathinda, will soon start testing and certifying food items on its campus. It will empower the university to certify food items for their nutritional value and also check adulteration.
According to the university authorities, a food-testing laboratory mechanism will boost the food processing sector in the state, which would benefit all stakeholders, including farmers, industry, domestic industry (domestic and exports), entrepreneurs, producers, consumers, small and medium enterprises in the business of food products in the region.
Quality and food safety have become a competitive edge in the global market for the enterprises producing and marketing food products.
A food-testing laboratory project has been approved by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to the Department of Food Science and Technology of the university. The grant-in-aid for setting up of a testing facility is Rs253.12 lakh, besides other components.
The main objective of the project is to provide a safe nutritious diet to maintain health aspects. After getting the project, the university has already started the process of establishing a state-of-the-art food-testing laboratory at its Food Science and Technology Department.
Dr Kawaljit Singh Sandhu, head, Department of Food Science and Technology said the proposal was submitted to the ministry for setting up of a food testing facility. He said the university got the project after a tough competition with the top institutions of the country.
He said the objective of the laboratory was to analyse the samples received from the food processing industry and other stakeholders and to reduce the time taken for analysis of samples by reducing transportation time of samples. Besides, it will ensure compliance of domestic/international standards on food and establish a surveillance system for monitoring the quality and composition of food.
