IVRI Scientist Develops Plant Dye-Based Meat Testing Kit
PASHUDHAN PRAHAREE, 19TH APRIL- 22
IVRI is planning to launch the kit in the market in the near future. The kit is very cost effective as each strip will cost around ₹5 to 6 or even less, the scientist says.
Now, you can check the quality of meat before starting to cook it and , for this, Bareilly’s Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) says it has developed the country’s first plant-material based kit that is capable of monitoring the freshness of meat and its products.
The kit consists of a paper strip coated with plant dye. The kit has to be placed on the surface of the meat or inside a packet to check its quality, says Dr Suman Talukder, the scientist behind the innovation.
“The colour of the strip will change to crimson if the meat is fresh, will become pink if the quality is “intermediate” and turn green if it is spoiled,” the scientist explains.
The colour changes after the strip reacts with volatile gases that emanate from the meat when its quality deteriorates, the scientist says.
IVRI is planning to launch the kit in the market in the near future. The kit is very cost effective as each strip will cost around ₹5 to 6 or even less, Talukder says.
The institute is also in talks with several meat selling companies that may use this indigenously-developed kit to ensure that only the best quality of meat is sold and consumed.
“This is a first-of-its-kind plant-based meat quality detection kit developed by us. As the name suggests, the kit will indicate the quality of meat beforehand and thus can save people from consuming stale meat,” says Dr Suman Talukder, scientist (senior scale) in the livestock product technology department of IVRI.
Talukder says he first thought of developing the meat quality indicator in 2017.
“I noticed that barring a few chemical-based imported kits, there are no indigenous products to check the quality of meat. The idea clicked and I began working on it. Then, I was pursuing PhD,” Talukder says.
It took almost a year for Talukder to develop the kit that eventually got ready by December 2018.
After clearing several rounds of tests, the kit was ready for launch in April 2022. The kit is now set to hit the market.
Dr Triveni Dutt, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute director, says, “The quality indicator kit is indeed a revolutionary innovation that will not only detect the deterioration in the meat quality, but will also save consumers from consuming stale meat. We have already released the product and now we are in talks with some meat selling companies that are showing interest in this particular project.”
HOW THE INDICATOR FUNCTIONS
The scientist says unlike chemical based imported indicators; this make-in-India indicator is plant material based. It is coated with natural plant dye. In order to check the quality of meat, either raw or packed, one has to place this kit either on the surface of the meat or inside the packet.
The kit is in the form of a paper-strip-coated with plant dye.
“The moment this is done, the colour of the strip will change if the quality of meat has deteriorated. The colour changes after the strip reacts with volatile gases that emanates from the meat when its quality deteriorates. The colour of the strip will change to crimson if the meat is fresh, will become pink if the meat is intermediate and will turn to green if it is spoiled,” he explains.
POSSIBLE USE
He says it can be used by the companies in the meat selling trade and by individuals.
“Since in India, people are in the practice of buying meat directly from the butcher, they can check the quality by putting the kit on the meat surface. The companies dealing in packaged meat products can use this by attaching the kit inside the transparent meat packet so that consumers can check the quality of meat before purchasing. This will not only save consumers from consuming stale meat but will also save the company’s reputation,” he adds.
https://www.pashudhanpraharee.com/ivri-scientist-develops-plant-dye-based-meat-testing-kit/
Photo courtesy-IVRI scientist Dr Suman Talukder is the brain behind the innovation. (HT PHOTO)
source-https://www.hindustantimes.com
