LUCKNOW, Sept. 20 -- Scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (CSIR-IITR) are developing certified reference materials (CRMs) for heavy metals, pesticides and pharma-grade castor oil, which could help the food and pharmaceutical industries test daily use products for contaminants and ensure quality standards.

CRMs are used to ensure that measurements are traceable to the International System of Units (SI) and help assess the quality of products used in daily life.

Currently, India is dependent on imported CRMs for standardisation and quality assessment of food products, according to CSIR-IITR director Bhaskar Narayan.

"The importance of CRMs is that reference standards play...