CM inaugurates state-of-the-art food testing lab at Tirumala

Tirupati: Chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated a state-of-the-art food testing lab, established by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams with the support of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), at Tirumala on Saturday.TTD, in collaboration with the FSSAI, established the in-house food testing lab facility in an extent of 12,000 sq ft area by spending ₹25 crore. Following the furore among devotees of Lord Venkateswara worldwide after the laddu ghee adulteration row unfolded in 2024, the temple trust was advised by the state govt to establish an in-house advanced food analysis laboratory to ensure adulterated ingredients do not creep into the sacred prasadams offered to the presiding deity at Tirumala temple and then served to visiting devotees.Health minister Satya Kumar Yadav said the food testing lab is equipped with over 50 advanced instruments for chemical and microbiological testing. "This lab is also equipped with the electronic tongue and electronic nose equipment, which were imported from France by shelling out ₹3.5 crore to constantly monitor the quality of prasadams and food served to devotees at Tirumala," he said.Dr Satyen Kumar Panda, principal scientist and advisor at FSSAI, said E-nose is a sensor-based device designated to detect odours and volatile compounds released from food. "It analyses the overall pattern of gases emitted by a sample, acting as an odour fingerprint matched against known quality profiles. The E-tongue applies a similar concept to liquids, focusing on taste-related chemical components. This equipment uses multiple electrochemical sensors that respond to dissolved substances responsible for sweet, salty, sour, and bitter characteristics," he explained.The health minister said both instruments allow rapid and automated quality checks without requiring human tasting or smelling acts. "These instruments are already used globally in various sectors, including dairy, edible oils, beverages, etc. to detect spoilage, adulteration, and flavour variation," he added.Gujarat-based National Dairy Development Board had donated gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography equipment worth ₹75 lakh to the Tirupati trust in 2024. The advanced GC and HPLC systems allow for instant and on-site testing of ghee for adulteration and quality, including detection of animal and vegetable fat contamination.The chief minister appreciated the reforms initiated by the TTD administration in streamlining the testing parameters of various ingredients used in the sacred prasadams by establishing the state-of-the-art food testing lab at Tirumala.