No formalin found in fruits in Uttara

A mobile court yesterday found no formalin in 62 samples of 37 different types of fruits picked randomly from markets in the capital's Uttara.

Monir Hossan, field officer at Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), and Shafiqul Islam Sarker, a forensic chemist at Rapid Action Battalion Headquarters, conducted the tests. 

The tests were done on fruits from four fruit shops in BDR Bazar, two in Rajluxmi Supermarket, one in Kushal Centre, and New Dedar Super Shop.  

“The chemical tests have found no presence of formalin in the fruits,” said Rab Executive Magistrate AHM Anwar Pasha, who led the mobile court.

“We hope the traders are not using formalin because of the recent anti-formalin drives,” he added.

 The mobile court used chemical test method of US-based Association of Analytical Chemists that is followed by the BSTI.

In this method, fruits are washed in chromotrophic acid dissolved in water. Purple rings are seen in the solution if there is formalin in fruits, said BSTI Director Kamal Prashad Das.