Institute of Botany, Plant Physiology and Genetics, National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan

Food security is an essential component of the state policy of the state. The Law “On Food Security” of the Republic of Tajikistan, adopted on November 27, 2014, No. 1158, defines the main directions of the state policy of the Republic of Tajikistan in the field of ensuring food security, as an integral part of state security, in accordance with generally recognized international principles and norms. According to the Law, among the main areas for ensuring food security and independence are:

• ensuring the production of agricultural raw materials and ready-made food that meets the requirements of technical regulations, standards and regulations;
• ensuring safe import in accordance with the requirements of technical regulations, standards and regulations;
• monitoring the state of the food and agricultural raw materials market.

Decree of the Presidium of NAST No. 108 dated November 30, 2015 and by the decision of the Academic Council of the IBPPG TNAS, the “Laboratory of Biosafety “ was organized in 2018.

The objective of the lab:

• Development and application of modern methods of analysis to detect biological agents and toxins, chemical contaminants in food and crops, monitoring the possible stage of infection in the food chain to further create an ecosystem and risk assessment model.

Tasks of the laboratory:

1. Creation of a database and recommendations for the further creation of ecosystem and risk analysis models;
2. Using developed technologies to detect chemicals and toxins in food and to provide advice to official regulatory agencies on how to reduce potential food contamination with chemicals and toxins;
3. Help local producers and consumers to certify their exported food products in accordance with WTO, WHO and FAO standards.

Analysis carried out in the laboratory:

1. Control of biological agents and toxins that can pose a threat to crops and food products, as well as the development of express methods for their determination;
2. Determination and monitoring of pathogenic agents in samples taken from soil and water in crop growing areas;
3. Analysis of chemical contamination of food products: determination of nitrate and nitrite ions in meat products; determination of toxic elements Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Co, As, Fe, Al in food products, water and air at the place of food production; determination of persistent organic pollutants (pesticides and dioxins) in food products;
4. Analysis of biological contaminants in food products: determination of mycotoxins, antibiotics, hormones and stimulants, as well as the determination of allergens (immunoglobulin E);
5. Evaluation of food products derived from new technologies such as genetic modification;
6. Detection of GMO products.

The international cooperation:

• Gansu Institute of Business and Technology of China
• Lanzhou University of China
• Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – (FAO)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Program (UNESCO)
• Kazan State Agrarian University, Russia
• International Science and Technology Center (ISTC)
• International State Institute. HELL. Sakharova, Minsk, Republic of Belarus

Cooperation agreement:

• February 2018 – a Memorandum of Cooperation and Intentions was signed between the NGO “Institute of Business and Technology Gansu”, the People’s Republic of China and the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan.
• March 30, 2018 – The Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China and the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan held the first meeting of the Council and signed a Cooperation Agreement.
• July 11, 2019 – an Agreement was signed on the establishment of a Joint Tajik-Chinese laboratory for food safety research on the basis of the Biosafety Laboratory of the IBPPG TNAS.

---

LABORATORY STAFF

---

PhD and applicants

---

BOOKS