Jessada also said the wording used in advertisements made people believe that the pan was made of marble or coated in marble. Testing of the Korea King Diamond Series pan by Kasetsart University chemistry professor Weerachai Phutdhawong found that it did not have marble components but was merely coated with an aluminium alloy in a marble-like pattern, Jessada said.

“The CPB assigned Kasetsart University to test the pan’s coating layers, which yielded these results. The Science and Technology Ministry’s National Metal and Materials Technology Centre will test the pan’s durability to withstand fire and the Department of Science Services will test for any toxin contamination in the product,” Jessada said.

When all the test results are officially complete, the CPB will announce the conclusions to the public, he added. Wizard Solution, which imports the gold and diamond series of the controversial Korea King frying pan, and its celebrity brand ambassador – TV presenter Vuthithorn “Woody” Milintachinda – are facing mounting criticism and questions over the business ethics surrounding the advertisement claims.

The pans’ retail price was reportedly excessively high at about Bt15,000 per pan, but there was a sharp discount so the pan ended up being sold at about Bt3,000 per pan plus a buy-one-get-one-free promotion. Social media users brought the issue to light by saying that a similar frying pan was being sold for around Bt600 in Singapore earlier this month – although the company later claimed that much-cheaper pan was of a different model.

That disclosure led to calls from the public for the CPB to investigate the company’s claim that the pan was coated with eight layers, including substances called “gold marble” and “silver marble”, which purportedly made it absolutely durable and left a non-stick surface.

At the CPB’s request, Weerachai carried out a test by cutting the pan with a handsaw to check the layers of material last week. He urged people to wait for complete laboratory results before rendering judgement.