Foreign Matters Examinations in Exported Agricultural Products During 2012-2017

Abstract

      Agricultural products are important to Thailand economy, especially the exports, which generate high income into the country. However, some products were rejected due to the problem of foreign matters (filth). In order to assess the quality of agricultural products prior to the export distribution, it is necessary to determine from a domestic agency. In this study, the samples were obtained from the Thai Food and Drug Administration, manufacturers or exporters for inspection during April 2012 to April 2017 as a total of 432 samples consisting of noodles, grains, spices, and flour products for 179, 131, 62, and 60 samples, respectively. The test methods were the macroscopic and microscopic examinations. As a result, a total of 149 samples (34.49%) did not meet the standard criteria due to the living insects, non-living insects, insect fragments, and animal hair. Among these samples, the noodles, grains, spices, and flour products were failed for 71, 41, 23, and 14 samples, respectively, calculated as 39.66%, 31.30%, 37.10%, and 23.33%, respectively. Therefore, the requirement on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) should be emphasized by the manufacturers on every processing step to assure that the quality of products will be acceptable from the importing country.