Ahmedabad: If you think that using food carters to test poisons is an old exercise abandoned, then think again.
The protocol demands that the food offered to VVIPs including foreign officials, trade union ministers and ministerial heads, feels for unintentional contamination or intentional poisoning.
Since risking human life like this is an anachronism in the 21st century, the University of National Forensics (NFSU) develops a kit that can detect various contaminants and poisons in less than 10 minutes.
This kit is expected to be ready in January 2022.
Dr.
JM Vyas, Deputy Chancellor Nfsu, said that some countries approached the university, looking for a fast-based chemical reaction kit that would help law enforcement agencies and other government weapons behaviors on food-work.
“This is probably the first of its kind of project for food forensics and other disciplines,” he said.
Dr.
Jayrajsinh Sarvaiya, Assistant Senior Professor, led the expert team that developed a kit that included identification of contaminants and poisons in food, narcotics identification, and identification of poorly in milk, fertilizer, etc.
Use the principles of chemical reactions.
How does the kit work? Dr.
Sarvaiya said that every chemical reacted to other chemicals.
“For example, the cyanide test will change violet if food samples have certain poisons.
If food has alkaloid contamination, it will remove dark blue.
This method includes a miniature centrifuge where the sample is stored.
After settling samples, residues are tested for chemicals to check the reaction , “he said.
He added that the test has been designed taking into account time factors.
“The kit can test around 40 poisons and strange contaminants, which includes almost all gamuts that are known to investigate forensic agencies and scientists.
Tests can identify substances within 10 minutes,” Dr.
Sarvaiya said.
It will also save time because food filtering usually consumes food for at least 30 minutes before serving for officials.
The test kit will include a treated paper strip, the kit will also include a paper strip treated with chemicals that can be used to test the given samples.
NFSU officials said that other kits would also identify contaminants from milk or fertilizers using the same method.
But in such cases, the chemicals used will differ according to dirt and harmful substances such as the trace of the organofosforus.
A senior state police officer, with anonymous requirements, said that food testing is always an integral part of the contingent to ensure VVIP security.
“Given the high number of public events such as the Vibrant Gujarat Summit that Host Gujarat, a team is always deployed in those places and in the kitchen.
Chemical kits like this will definitely reduce the possibility of human mistakes, if any,” the official said.