Lok Sabha Question No. 3822 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-22
Subject: Agmark Food Testing Laboratories
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: JAGDAMBIKA PAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3822

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 22 ND    DECEMBER, 2015

## AGMARK FOOD TESTING LABORATORIES

## 3822.      SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of food testing laboratories currently operating under Agmark in the country and the details of tests carried out in these laboratories;
- (b) the  details  of  agricultural  produce/  commodities  being  certified  and  not  certified  by  the Agmark laboratories;
- (c) whether the Government has felt the need to increase the number of these laboratories in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the  details  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  that  quality  of  testing  is maintained at each of the laboratories?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्राऱय में राज्य मंत्री (SHRI  MOHANBHAI  KUNDARIA)

- (a): The  number  of  laboratories  currently  operating  under  Agmark  scheme  include  183 Private commercial laboratories engaged in domestic grading of agriculture commodities and 18 Private commercial laboratories engaged in  export grading of agriculture commodities.  These private commercial laboratories are further monitored by  1 Central Agmark Laboratory (CAL) at Nagpur  and  11  Regional  Agmark  Laboratories  (RALs)  under  the  Directorate  of  Marketing  & Inspection (DMI).

Details of tests carried out in these laboratories are Annexed.

- (b): Under the Agmark   Scheme, certification of agriculture commodities is voluntary. Out of 213    agri  commodities  notified  under  Agmark,  there  is  presently  a  demand  only  for  the certification of following  agri commodities, which are being certified as per the relevant Agmark Rule:

Rice, wheat atta,  suji, maida,  besan , fruit & vegetables (grapes,  onions, okra) wheat, chillies, turmeric,    pepper,    cumin,    poppy  seed,  whole ajwain ,  coriander,  fennel,  fenugreek,    curry powder, compounded asafoetida,  mixed masala powder,  oil seeds (mustard seed,  sesame seeds),  vegetable oils ( groundnut oil, mustard oil, sesame oil, coconut oil,  castor oil,  blended edible    vegetable  oil,    maize  oil,    soya  bean  oil,  fat  spread),  oil  cakes  (  mustard  oil  cake), creamery butter, ghee , honey,  Isabgol husk, tobacco. tapioca sago, seedless tamarind, edible nuts, pulses, table eggs.

(c): As  per  the  Agmark  scheme,  private  commercial  laboratories  seek  approval  of  the Government for granting approval for Agmark Certification.  As such, the scheme is voluntary in nature and there are no set targets for increasing the number of these laboratories.

(d): To ensure that quality of testing is maintained in each of the approved laboratories, all the chemists working on Agmark Certification in these laboratories are trained and approved by the  DMI.      Further  the  quality  of  testing  is  ensured  by  periodic  inspection  of  approved laboratories and their check samples further tested at  RALs and counter checked, if necessary at    CAL.      Out  of  11  RALs,  08  have  been accredited by the  National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and  CAL is also NABL accredited.

## Details of tests carried out in Agmark Laboratories

## A . Export  (Fruits & Vegetables)  :

Size, chemical & pesticides residues, heavy metals for export  commodities.

## B.  Domestic trade:

1.  Fat Spread : Moisture, fat, salt, melting point,  un saponification  matter,  free fatty acid/acid value,  vitamin A estimation .
2.    Oil  Seeds: Percentage  of  inorganic  and  organic  foreign  matter,  damaged  discoloured weevilled grain, shrivelled immature, other oil seeds, moisture, oil content.
3.  Oil Cake: Moisture, total ash, acid insoluble ash, oil content, crude fibre, crude protein.
4.    Spices  : Moisture,  total  ash,  acid  insoluble  ash,  non-volatile  ether  extract,    crude  fibre, starch, volatile oil, water soluble oil, cold water soluble extract, alcohol  soluble extract,  calcium as calcium oxide (CaO), test for added starch,  test for added colour,  sieve test,  test for Lead.
5.    Essential  Oils  : Relative density,  Refractive  index,  Optical  Rotation,  Solubility  in  alcohol, Acid value, Ester Value,  Ester  value after acetylation, Citral by bisulphite method, aldehyde/ ketone content  by  hydoxyl ammonium chloride method .
6.  Vegetable Oils : Refractive Index, moisture & insoluble impurities, acid value,  saponification value,      iodine  value,    specific      gravity,  Unsapoinifiable  Matter  (USM),  Bellier  Turbidity Temperature  (BTT),  essential  oil  ,  Hydrocynic  Acid  (HCN)  ,  Hydrobromine    test  (HBr)  ,  Thin Layer Chromatographic (TLC) test for argemone, TLC  test for castor oil, TLC test   for  mineral oil,  added colour,  colour  by  tintometer, peroxide value.
7.  Ghee: Moisture, Refractive Index, Free Fatty Acid (FFA), Baudauin Test (BT), Reichaerd Meissal (RM) value &  Polenske Value (PV)
8.  Butter : Moisture, Refractive Index,   Fat, Salt & Casein,  FFA, BT, RM & PV.
9.  Honey : Moisture Content, Total Ash,  Specific  gravity,  Fiches test, Aniline chloride test, Acidity,  total  reducing  sugar,  sucrose  content,  Fructose/Glucose  ratio,  total  pollen  content, Hydroxy Methyl Furfural (HMF) content, Optical density.
10.    Food  Grains  &  Allied  Commodities    : Foreign  matter,  broken    grains,  fragments, damaged  or discoloured, weevilled, chalky, other  grains, moisture (Hot Air Oven method), total ash, acid insoluble ash, alcoholic acidity, protein, gluten  content, crude fibre, uric  acid, Sieve Test, Starch by Hydrolysis method, B-Oxalyl Amino Acid (BOAA) test, Oil content  of oil seeds, Length /Breadth  ratio (Rice).

Food  safety  parameters  in  Blended  Edible  Vegetable  Oil  (BEVO)    &  Fat  Spread  are tested  by  private  Food  Safety  &  Standards  Authority  of  India  (FSSAI)  approved/  National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited laboratories.

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