Bengaluru-based Akshaya Patra Foundation on Thursday inaugurated its first and latest Food Safety and Quality Control Lab (FSQC Lab) in Ahmedabad. This lab is established in technical collaboration with the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru.

The microbiology laboratory is equipped with the latest and modern technology for evaluating the food products right from the farm to plate. These include table top refractometer which evaluates the total soluble solids, fat purity, and adulteration in oils.

Speaking on the launch, Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, "It is indeed a great moment to have a state-of-the-art food safety lab being inaugurated at Ahmedabad. All the kitchens of Akshaya Patra follow a standard process for preparing the mid-day meals. This process is charted out to ensure hygiene and quality of the cooked meal and also to adhere to the food safety standards."

The Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, has provided technical assistance for setting up this lab. The microbiology lab is equipped with the latest technology instruments in enumerating the microbial count, using filtration techniques with pre-sterilised membranes of 0.45 microns. The air sampler instrument evaluates the environmental quality in few hours.

The lab is also equipped with fume hood and exhaust systems along with precision weighing balances of 0.0001g accuracy to accurately weigh the chemicals for microbiological and chemical analysis.

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