Kit will detect pesticide traces in food

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">BANGALORE: Before you crunch into that fresh apple or enjoy your potato<span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> subji</span>, stop! They could be laced with pesticide residues — a result of indiscriminate use of pesticides in farming.<br /><br />With a view to detect these pesticide residues in food, the Central Food Technological Institute (CFTRI), a premier CSIR laboratory located in Mysore, has devised an Elisa kit that will screen and detect pesticides in plant foods and food products.There is now hope for better detection methods than those available in the industry.<br /><br />High pesticide traces in packaged water in Delhi and Mumbai a month ago instilled fear in people about the safety of drinking bottled water."If water is concentrated to a certain minimum volume, it can be tested for pesticide residue presence with this kit," Dr V. Prakash, director of the institute, told The Times of India.<br /><br />CFTRI has developed antibody and enzyme-based reaction tests to detect pesticides like DDT, endosulfan, ethyl parathion. The Elisa method is sensitive to parts per trillion (ppt),which means even minuscule quantities can be traced.<br /><br />In around two to three hours, 96 samples can be tested in a single batch simultaneously.<br /><br />Ideal for government laboratories and private companies producing and procuring plant foods, the technology is up for commercialisation.<br /><br />Stringent residue level specification for export has necessitated regular monitoring of these levels. The current tests of gas and liquid chromatography are complex, expensive and time-consuming for large quantities of food products tested and exported, say experts.<br /><br />"The technology is ready for licensing to entrepreneurs who can manufacture the kits for commercial use, specially in testing labs and company labs. The protocols are ready.We can develop the kit further on custom basis and entrepreneurs will have to be proactive," says Dr Prakash.<br /></div> </div>