The contribution of science and technology in determining the permissibility (halalness) of food products

• Main Authors: Ahmad Fadzillah, Nurrulhidayah, Che Man, Yaakob, Jamaludin, Mohammad Aizat, Ab. Rahman, Suhaimi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IIUM Press 2012
• Subjects: BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc; BP134.S3 Quran and Science; TX341 Nutrition. Foods and food supply
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/71296/1/The%20contribution%20of%20science%20and%20technology%20in%20determining%20the%20permissibility%20%28halalness%29%20of%20food%20products.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/71296/; https://journals.iium.edu.my/revival/index.php/revival/article/view/57/47

Science and technology have always played an important role in the food industry, in ensuring that society’s need for safe and good quality food is met in a sustainable way. In recent decades, advances in automated food preparation and packaging technologies have made the mass production of attractively packaged food commercially viable. However, this use of science and technology for commercial gain can sometimes lead to food adulteration, whereby some ingredients that do not comply with shari’ahrequirements are used in food production. It has been reported, for instance, that some food manufacturers use lard as a substitute for other types of fat in their products because it is relatively cheap and easily available. This is a matter of concern to Muslim consumers, who have to be sure that their foods are halaland free from haramingredients. This paper discusses the contribution of science and technology to the detection of haramingredients in food products. It is hoped that this paper will contribute toknowledge in the field of science and shari’ah. **************************************************************************************************************************** Peranan utama sains dan teknologi adalah untuk memastikan keperluan masyarakat terhadap kemampanan kualiti dan keselamatan makanan terjamin. Dalam pada itu, makanan yang berada di pasaran telah bertambah baik dari segi nilai nutrisi, manfaat dan komposisi bagi menjamin kualitinya. Namun, perkembangan ini juga telah mengakibatkan pemalsuan makanan apabila ramuan tertentu yang tidak memenuhi tuntutan shari’ah digunakan dalam pemprosesan makanan. Ada pengusaha makanan yang menggunakan lemak babi sebagai ramuan alternatif kerana lebih murah dan mudah didapati. Hal ini sudah tentu mencetuskan perasaan negatif dalam kalangan pengguna Muslim yang perlu memastikan makanan mereka halal dan bebas daripada ramuan haram. Kertas ini akan membincangkan sumbangan sains dan teknologi bagi mengesan ramuan haram dalam produk makanan dan diharap dapat menyumbangkan ilmu pengetahuan dalam bidang sains dan shari’ah.