[A Decade of Achievement] NCHU Pesticide Residue Testing Center Inaugurated and Officially Renamed as the "Pesticide Residue Testing Center" 

[Hsing University News] Established in 2008, National Chung Hsing University's "Agricultural Products Pesticide Residue Testing Center" was officially renamed the "Pesticide Residue Testing Center" on February 1, 2019. It was upgraded from a task force affiliated with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to a formal affiliated unit under the college.

On the morning of February 22, 2019, a plaque unveiling ceremony was held on the 4th floor of the Hsing University Quarantine Building. The ceremony was attended by President Fu-Sheng Hsieh, Vice President Chen-Wen Huang, Dean Fu-Chih Jan of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Director Chin-Chung Chen of the Art Center, Director Tzu-Pi Huang of the Pesticide Residue Testing Center, Chairperson Ying Yeh of the Taiwan Society for Plant Pest Quarantine and Inspection Development, and Acting Director Ming-Hsun Ho of the Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture.

Entering its 11th year, the Pesticide Residue Testing Center at Hsing University primarily safeguards pesticide residue levels in agricultural products for both export and domestic markets. The center was established in 2008 under the guidance of the Council of Agriculture and became one of the country's regional pesticide residue testing centers. In July 2011, the center obtained ISO 17025 certification. It is equipped with three sets of advanced "liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometers" (LC/MS/MS) and "gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometers" (GC/MS/MS), making it a highly credible testing institution in Taiwan, especially for the central and northern regions.

In addition to being a regional pesticide residue testing center, the center also provides industry services such as analyzing the main ingredients of pesticides. It works closely with the government on emergency food safety testing tasks, as demonstrated during incidents like the plasticizer, tea, and fipronil egg contamination crises. The center has been able to provide rapid testing capabilities in these events. It is currently certified under TAF ISO 17025 and recognized as a food inspection laboratory by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The center accepts government, industry, and public commissions to perform pesticide residue testing on agricultural products and their processed goods. It also conducts pesticide residue dissipation studies.

President Fu-Sheng Hsieh expressed his gratitude to Vice President Chen-Wen Huang, who was the dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the time of the center’s establishment, and to Professor Der-Tzai Tseng of the Department of Plant Pathology for their expertise. He mentioned that Hsing University has established a comprehensive system for food safety testing, which includes not only the Pesticide Residue Testing Center but also the Agricultural Products Certification Center, Soil Survey Center, Plant Teaching Hospital, and the food safety testing building donated by Taishin Financial Holdings. He hopes that Hsing University will become a key player in ensuring food safety, both locally and globally. He also expressed his appreciation to all staff who contributed their efforts over the years and promised that the university would continue to support and assist the center.

Vice President Chen-Wen Huang recalled that when the center was being established, they originally applied for NT$60 million from the Council of Agriculture but only received NT$6 million in funding. He thanked President Hsieh, who was the Research and Development Director at the time, for contributing NT$4 million, and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources for providing an additional NT$1 million. With a total of NT$11 million, they purchased the first mass spectrometer, and the center began its operations under difficult circumstances. Taiwan's exported agricultural products, such as mangoes exported to Japan, must be tested within 24 hours, making the center's staff work tirelessly, often racing against time. Over the past decade, he expressed his gratitude for the technical guidance from the Agricultural Chemicals and Toxic Substances Research Institute, as well as the support from Chairperson Ying Yeh and the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, and he hoped the center’s testing capabilities would continue to grow.