Over The Horizon

Residue Testing

The Food and Biological Chemistry Laboratory, operated by HortResearch at Ruakura, was a star performer in a recent British test of analytical labs, coming in the top six of 75 international participants.

Staff were able to correctly identify all of the organochlorine pesticides contaminating a sample of vegetable oil, and to measure residue levels to within a range of 1-5%.

The test is one in a series required for ISO 9000 accreditation, and the lab has also performed well in earlier tests involving fungal toxins and organophosphorus pesticides.

Accurate testing is becoming increasingly important to horticultural producers as demand for residue-free food grows here and overseas. Many major export markets now require suppliers to run residue monitoring programmes to show that produce is free from artificial chemicals, and HortResearch's facility is likely to be New Zealand's only laboratory with accredited specialisation in all aspects of residue testing.