Recently, European retailers reported the unauthorized presence of Karanjin residues on fruit and vegetable products.
Karanjin is a flavonoid obtained from the seeds of the Pongamia tree, commonly found in India. The oil extracted from the seeds of this plant is widely used in traditional Indian medicine and cosmetics, it is also used as lamp oil, in soap making and as a lubricant.
t is not an edible oil. When ingested, it causes nausea and vomiting. Its toxicity, bitter taste and unpleasant smell are due to the presence of flavonoids, among which karanjin.
In some non-European countries, Karanjin oil is used in agricultural practices for its pesticide, insecticide and acaricide action. It is a powerful fungistat and it is used both in the preventive phase and when the problem has already appeared. The Karanjin oil-based treatment creates a water-repellent film that prevents the germination of fungal spores.
Currently, in Europe, the active principle Karanjin is not registered as a pesticide and therefore its use is not authorized.
Although of natural origin, organic farming products must be authorized through an evaluation, registration and authorization process in order to protect the health of consumers and that of the environment.
The rules that regulate the marketing of these bio-pesticides are the same applied to other commercial products. In the Italian market the use of formulas registered in other countries is therefore forbidden, as in the case of Karanjin seed oil.
The Agro.Biolab Laboratory, a leader in its field in Italy, has grasped the growing interest for this topic and has immediately activated a simple, rapid and sensitive analytical proposal for the quantification of karanjin in fruit and vegetable products with a limit of quantification of 0.005 mg/kg.
This analysis increases the laboratory’ s solution in the field of contaminants, which is currently among the most complete and qualified available on the international market.
For more information: 
Agro.Biolab Laboratory srl
commerciale@agrobiolabitalia.it
www.agrobiolabitalia.it