Rapid detection kits for formaldehyde and ammonia adulteration in fresh fish

Fish is a rich source of good quality protein and other valuable nutrients like poly unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. Recently there are reports on marketing of fishes added with harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia etc. Formaldehyde is a toxic aldehyde which is listed as cancer causing agent by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Although ammonia is not carcinogenic, continuous ingestion of ammonia can lead many health issues including injuries to mucous membranes of mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach.  Marketing of adulterated fishes with these chemicals can lead to serious health problems among fish eaters. As the conventional techniques available for testing these harmful chemicals are time-consuming, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology has developed paper strip methods for rapid detection of formaldehyde and ammonia. These detection methods are simple, rapid and based on visual observation of color development within 2 minutes.The kit includes 25 no: of testing strips, reagent solution and standard chart for color comparison. The strip has to be rubbed on the surface of fish, and then add 1-2 drops of the reagent solution provided, to get a colour change.These rapid detection kits would help consumers for easy detection of adulterants in domestically marketed fish. It is expected thatthe commercialization of the technology may bring the cost belowRs. 5/- per testing.

                        Formalin Detection for Fresh Fish                                         Ammonia Detection for Fresh Fish