The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has enhanced its food screening system by employing the High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) Technology.

This technology will enable the detection of contaminants that are not targeted during testing. It complements the existing testing methods which identify the known foodborne hazards.

The new testing will be conducted for high-risk foods such as meat, ready-to-eat food and cultured seafood. Testing will also be conducted for foods such as baby food and baby milk powder, whose consumers are more sensitive to contaminants.

AVA has built a database of about 11,000 compounds and is also revising its analytical procedures, reported the Channel News Asia.

In addition to Singapore, HRMS is also being evaluated by the laboratories in Japan, the US, and the European Union.

Veterinary Public Health Lab Laboratories Department deputy director Ch'ng Ai Lee said that the previous method of food screening did not have the capability to find unusual food-borne hazards such as melamine, but the new advanced version will overcome all the disadvantages of the earlier approach.