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Zolela Sigqakaza works as a laboratory analyst in the CSIR's food and beverage laboratory in Rosebank, Cape Town |
From the sea to the plate – good quality and healthy fish has to take some microscope heat and a lot of effort from laboratory analysts to ensure that it is safe for consumption, and in some cases, export. The same applies to all other food products and beverages that end up in our households and eventually our stomachs.
To ensure that the food we eat is safe and ready for consumption, there is a dedicated CSIR group who helps food producers and sellers ensure that their food is safe and of good quality. One such person is Zolela Sigqakaza, a laboratory analyst at the CSIR in Rosebank, Cape Town, whose bread and butter is about testing that very bread and butter is safe.
“If the food and beverage analysis is not done, there is a chance that contaminated food may end up on someone’s plate somewhere,” Sigqakaza explains.
She says she feels privileged to be doing this kind of work because it has a positive impact on the people she knows and the rest of society.
“Everyone can see my work and that of my colleagues - every time they pick up a food product, whether it is tea, bread or anything else, they can view the nutritional information table on the product – quite a few of these have actually been done by our team,” she says.
She adds that as laboratory workers celebrate World Laboratory Day on 23 April, it is vital that people have at least the basic information about the food they eat.
The CSIR team of laboratory analysts helps food manufacturers and producers ensure that products are quality assured, the nutritional profile is correct and that trace elements and heavy metals are tested for. This group offers a full range of analytical requirements for the South African and southern African food and fishing industries. The laboratory is the only one in southern Africa equipped to test for marine biotoxins in shellfish products in support of the Shellfish Monitoring Programme.
Sigqakaza is currently working on a project testing toxicity in shellfish as this may cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans. This type of poisoning can be a life-threatening syndrome that is characterised by both gastrointestinal and neurological disorders.
Sigqakaza, who started her in-service training with the CSIR in 2006, says in a case where toxicity is detected, the laboratory will inform the clients.
“We have to inform the client immediately that the product is not ready for consumption. However, in the three years that I have worked in this laboratory, I have never been confronted with such a situation.”
In the amnesic shellfish poisoning project Sigqakaza has a client base across the borders of the country and these include Rich Water Oyster and Sea Fresh Investment, based in Namibia. In South Africa she is running these tests for the Wild Coast Abalone Farm as well as Blue Bay Aqua Farm.
Sigqakaza and her group are also running tests on preservatives in other food products.
“Some food products must have preservatives; it is the limit that we have to test,” she explains. Their main client in this regard is Nestle. In the past she has also tested for moisture in food products.
“The thing that always fascinates people is that there is water in a dry tea bag. But yes, there is, and this water content has to be tested. It is not lethal but we have to know how much moisture it contains. This ensures quality assurance and informs us of how long the product will last,” she says.
Sigqakaza, who holds a national diploma in analytical chemistry from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, says environmental health and safety is paramount to people who work in the laboratories.
“If we do not abide by the rules that have been laid out for us, we might make mistakes and end up with inaccurate results - so precaution is crucial,” Sigqakaza concludes.
CSIR Communication:
Kamogelo Seekoei, email: KSeekoei@csir.co.za
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