Food Quality Assurance and Testing
This domain separates quality assurance (the system and process) from quality control (testing), and tests sampling, sensory, chemical, physical and microbiological methods, calibration and Indian certification marks.
Core rules and concepts
- QA is preventive and process-wide; QC is inspection or testing of product against specifications.
- Sampling must be representative: random selection, a defined sampling plan, composite or gross sample, and a retained sample.
- Common tests: moisture, ash, protein by Kjeldahl, fat by Soxhlet, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, sensory evaluation, total plate count, coliforms and pathogens.
- Instruments need calibration; good laboratory practice covers trained staff, records, reference standards and duplicate tests.
- BIS certification, AGMARK grading and FSSAI notified laboratories support compliance. Rapid kits screen; confirmatory methods follow.
Worked example
Milk is suspected of starch adulteration. Add iodine solution. A blue-black colour indicates starch, because iodine complexes with amylose; no colour is negative. Confirm with a validated laboratory method, record the test, and retain the sample. False positives from other polysaccharides are possible, so a screening result is not a final legal finding.
Traps that cost marks
- More testing is not QA.
- An uncalibrated pH meter or pipette invalidates results.
- Sensory panels need controlled light, temperature, odour and coded samples.
- A rapid kit is not a confirmatory method.
- A certificate mark on a label does not replace routine in-house checks.