State Minister for Commerce and Industry EM Sudarsana Natchiappan, inaugurated India's sixth quality evaluation laboratory-cum-training centre (QEL) at harbour estate, Tuticorin district in Tamil Nadu. He said Tuticorin would be declared as 'town of excellence' soon. The laboratory, which comes under the Spices Board, was set up at a cost of Rs 8 crore and would boost the export of quality spices and spice-based products. It can test samples for ten parameters such as total plate count, yeast and mould count, moisture, colour, oil content and bacteria like salmonella and coliform.
It would also help identify pesticides residue, illegal dilution and fungus infection. This will help exporters and producers in spice growing regions in Tamil Nadu like Virudhanagar, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Kanyakumari and Dindigal. The laboratory also plans to conduct training and undertake R&D work in quality control, a Spices Board release said.
