Food, water, and air testing in India

The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are vital to our well-being. They are the basic necessities of life and it is imperative that the food, water, and air we have access to is safe, clean, and of the highest quality.

Moreover, the current scenario with the Coronavirus pandemic warrants stringent testing of these resources at all times. In order to ensure human survival, it behoves us to have a solid testing framework in place for them.

Testing industry in India – Scenario and scope
Food. In 2018, the Indian food pathogen testing market was valued at USD 14 million. It is estimated to climb to USD 26.4 million by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 11.3 percent.

The market is growing due to rising cases of food-borne diseases across the country. Moreover, an increase in consumer awareness pertaining to food safety and contamination of food products is further strengthening the demand for food testing labs in India.
Also, stringent food safety norms in conjunction with the increasing production of processed food are among the major catalysts for the food pathogen testing market in India.

Factors like growing urbanization, economic development, and increasing personal disposable income of the consumers has resulted in increased consumption of processed food, which, in turn, is positively impacting the Indian food pathogen testing market.
When it comes to food type, the market for Indian food pathogen testing is segmented into meat and poultry, dairy, fruits and vegetables, cereals and grains, and others. Dairy is the largest and the fastest-growing food-type segment in the market.

Since India is the largest producer of milk globally, rigorous food testing is needed whether it is for domestic consumption or for export purposes.

The Indian market for food pathogen testing is quite competitive with both private and public investors in the mix. Its competitive landscape comprises both global and domestic market players. These players invest heavily in the research and development of modern pathogen testing technologies.

Role of FSSAI. Formed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) works toward providing science-based standards for food handling in every facet. It regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import in order to ensure the availability of secure and wholesome food for human consumption. Its role is to provide assurance to every consumer when it comes to food safety.

What is food testing about? Food product testing is incredibly necessary to ensure that the food is free of chemical, physical, and biological hazards. Examples of potentially hazardous food contaminants include Escherichia coli bacteria, metals, cleaning agents, salmonella, preservatives, additives, pesticides, and more.

The most common methods of lab food testing are:

• Sensory testing: This is the most basic method of testing, which involves using the human senses – taste, sight, touch, smell, and sound.
• Chemical testing: Involves chemically separating and assessing the different components of a food item, including colors, preservatives, PH, additives, and so on.
• Nutrition analysis: Involves figuring out the nutritional composition of food products; the information gathered is displayed on the product’s label.
• Microbiology testing: Involves testing for microorganisms that contaminate food. It is usually done on the ingredients, raw materials, as well as the final product.

Water. The Indian Standards: Water for Food Processing Industry (IS: 4251; 1967 Reaffirmed 2004) states that the water should adhere to the physical, chemical, bacteriological, and radioactivity tolerance limits.

Multiple other parameters that the water has to comply with include color, odor, taste, pH, turbidity, and total dissolved solids, among others.

General chemical parameters include alkalinity, total hardness, various metallic and non-metal ions, mineral oil, and total solids.

Water must be tested for toxic substances, such as pesticide residues, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls.

The different testing methods used for water (particularly for food processing) include tests for coliform bacteria, standard plate count, proteolytic plate count, lipolytic plate count, among others. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has specified various purification levels of water for various uses.

It is important to check the suitability of the water quality before its use. It can be for drinking, spraying, irrigation, or livestock watering. It will help the consumer in making an informed decision about how to use the water and what must be done about its purity.
A superior quality of water eliminates the potential health risks related to water contamination and is crucial to the economic, and social well-being of the people.

Air (IAQ). With the pandemic severely impacting lives, the demand for indoor air-quality monitoring has risen significantly since 2019.

The indoor air-quality monitoring parameters are divided into contaminant parameters and comfort parameters.

Comfort parameters consist of relative humidity, temperature, and airflow. These parameters are directly related to the comfort of an individual.

Contaminants parameters on the other hand include:

• Chemical components like pesticides, formaldehyde, VOCs, CO2, CO, SO2, Nox, etc.
• Biological pollutants – bacteria, fungus, mold, allergens.
• Particulate matter – dust, PM2.5, PM10, etc.

Respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) is considered to be one of the chief ambient air contaminants. Per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) database, which includes RSPM levels of 124 cities in India, 123 cities exceed the annual average level specified in the WHO air quality guidelines.

The CPCB in response to a National Green Tribunal (NCT) order has issued new pollution control guidelines for hotels, restaurants, banquets, and other food establishments to follow and maintain indoor air quality.

Severity of the situation. IAQ is a top-5 health risk. EPA research has found that there are about 2–5× more air contaminants indoors than outdoors.

These pollutants can cause various health problems like irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headache, dizziness, and fatigue, respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer.

We breathe about 12,000 L of air every day and it is vital for our health to ensure that the air we breathe is clean and safe.

Equinox Labs – Making a difference
Equinox Labs was formed with a vision of offering an end-to-end solution for customers with respect to food, water, and air quality.

Our focus has always been on delivering a great experience to our customers through on-time delivery of reports, solutions for problems in food, water and air, and overall value addition.

As an FSSAI-notified laboratory, along with NABL accreditation, we can now go the extra mile for our valuable clients and touch the lives of millions by ensuring they are made available with good quality food products, potable water, and a clean environment through improved testing and valuable solutions.

Our organization has worked around one common purpose – improving lives by ensuring quality and innovation. We abide by our vision to provide only the best service to our customers for enhanced safety and good health.