New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mulling over implementing an efficient method to detect Ethylene Oxide in spices, NDTV reported citing official sources.
Ethylene Oxide, which authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore found in spice mixes from India, is a widely used as disinfectant and is known to be carcinogenic.
The new method is considered to be accurate and validated by the food safety regulator's national reference laboratory, ICAR-National Research Centre For Grapes, according to the report.
The method, which can detect the chemical in packaged items too, will be used to detect Ethylene Oxide in the products imported, exported and those sold in domestic markets.
The steps to enhance the safety of the spice products come after action against Indian spices in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Following this, authorities in India have collected over 1,500 samples from markets and spice factories and sent for lab tests.
Ethylene Oxide, according to the International Agency For Research on Cancer, is a Group 1 carcinogenic, meaning "there is enough evidence to conclude that it can cause cancer in humans".
Reacting to media reports that FSSAI allows 10 times more pesticide residue in herbs and spices, the Health Ministry said India has one of the most stringent standards of Maximum Residue Limits in the world.