PUBLISHED: 09:02 on August 4, 2023.
According to the Department of Medical Sciences( DMS ), a prototype kit intended to identify the presence of paraquat in fruit and vegetables is available for commercial reproduction by any private or public organization.
The mockup was created in collaboration with the Medical Life Sciences Institute and Bureau of Quality and Safety of Food, according to Dr. Supakit Sirilak, DMS director-general, yesterday.
He claimed that the system looks for signs of paraquat using the immunochromatography method.
He claimed that it detects Covid – 19 likewise to antigen test products. According to him, no additional tools or substances are required to obtain results from the kit, which can be applied to all varieties of fruit and vegetables to find this specific herbicide substance.
According to Dr. Supakit, results are displayed within 15 to 30 days if paraquat contaminants exceeds the permitted level of 0.005 micrograms per kilogram of the tested fruits and vegetables.
According to him, the system has passed a area study and is patented by the Department of Intellectual Property.
He added that the DMS would give users access to the kit and that it was” preparing to transfer the product method and formula to those interested[…] to reproduce ] the kit ] for general uses.”
He claimed that paraquat, an pesticides that farmers frequently use because it can produce results for less money, may be toxic to people if used carelessly on crops.
Parkinson’s disease and cancers are two risks associated with paraquat, he noted.