Amaravati: Amid controversies over the quality of ghee being supplied to TTD, the temple body is set to deploy a modern food testing laboratory equipped with advanced electronic systems such as an “e-tongue” and “e-nose” to ensure stringent quality checks and maintain transparency in supplies.
Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav has said the ultra-modern laboratory is being established for Rs 25 crore and is nearing completion.
A key highlight of the laboratory will be the installation of advanced ‘E-Tongue’ and ‘E-Nose’ machines being imported from France at a cost of ₹3.5 crore. The devices are designed to detect even the slightest variation in the quality of ghee. “Even the slightest drop in quality can be identified by these machines,” the minister said.
Civil and infrastructure works at the facility are around 90% complete, with operations expected to commence next month. Installation of the sophisticated equipment is likely to be completed by May.
The project follows an agreement signed on 8 October 2024 between the state’s Health Department and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in New Delhi, which has sanctioned ₹23 crore towards the initiative. The laboratory is being developed in a renovated two-storey building spread across 12,000 sq ft in Tirumala.
Once operational, the centre will house 50 advanced instruments capable of carrying out microbiological, chemical, and sensory analyses. Officials said it will be able to detect up to 200 types of pesticide residues, heavy metals, microbial contaminatio,n and antibiotic traces in food and water samples. Regular testing of water and prasadam samples of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is also planned.
Around 40 personnel from the Health Department and TTD will operate the laboratory. Officials describe it as the first such sophisticated food testing facility at a major pilgrimage centre in the state, aimed at restoring and strengthening public confidence in the quality of temple offerings.
The development comes against the backdrop of a political controversy in 2024, when Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu alleged ghee adulteration at the Tirumala shrine. The Supreme Court of India subsequently appointed a CBI-led Special Investigation Team to examine the claims.
The SIT report alleged that adulterated ghee worth around ₹250 crore was used in the preparation of prasadam between 2019 and 2024. The court-monitored probe, involving central and state agencies, questioned former Tirupati Temple Board officials and reviewed procurement records.
The issue has since acquired political overtones, with the ruling Telugu Desam Party accusing the previous government led by Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of lapses in oversight. The opposition YSR Congress Party has denied the allegations and criticised the move to appoint a one-member panel to review the SIT findings.
