Paper strips to detect chemicals in fish
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Soon, you can use a ‘paper strip’ to know whether the fish you have just bought is contaminated by chemicals. With the use of formalin and other chemicals in fish becoming rampant, the Fisheries Department is all set to popularise a technology developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), Kochi, to identify their presence.
Fisheries Minister J Mercykutty Amma informed the Assembly on Monday that CIFT had developed a ‘paper strip’ that is helpful in the detection of chemicals. The government intended to mass produce the rapid detection kit and popularise it. The kit comprises paper strips and a small bottle of chemical solution. When the strip comes into contact with the fish, it changes colour. The kit comes with a colour code that indicates the contamination level.