Food Adulteration

In our daily life there are so many unhygienic and contaminated things for our health. Most of our things our contaminated. Even the food, which we eat, is adulterated. Now a question arises that what is adulteration? The answer is that the deliberate contamination of food material with low quality, cheap and non-edible or toxic substances is called food adulteration. The substance, which lowers or degrades the quality of food material, is called an adulterant. Adulteration brings a lot of easy money for the traders, but it may spoil many lives.

Food adulteration can lead to slow poisoning and various kinds of diseases, which can even result in death.

Adulteration makes the food items used in our daily life unsafe and unhygienic for use. An easy example of food adulteration is vanaspati ghee in desi ghee. The traders use it for their economic benefit without thinking about its effect on the common population of our country, which consumes it. For preventing it our government has made some certain commissions and laws.

Get quality help now

Marrie pro writer

Verified writer

Proficient in: Food

5 (204)

“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Still it prevails in our country on large scale. Adulteration should be checked properly in common food items so as to save people from its bad effects. Adulteration is the government and we for the common people therefore something should do a type of curse against it.

Types of Food Adulteration

In India, the most common type of food adulterations is of following types:

1. Milk :- It is adulterated by the addition of water, starch, skim milk powder and removal of cream.

2. Ghee :- It is adulterated with vanaspati and animal fats such as pig's fat. In order to improve the flavor of adulterated ghee tributyrin is added.

3. Cereals :- Rice and wheat are mixed with stones sand grit and mud to increase the bulk.

4. Flour :- Wheat flour is mixed with soapstone and Bengal gram flour is adulterated with Kesari dal or lathyrus flour.

5. Pulses :- They are adulterated with Kesari Dal stones are added to pulses such as mott urad, and masoor. Toxic chemical such as metanil yellow are added to old stocks of pulses to improve their colour appearance.

6. Edible Oil :- They are mixed with cheaper oil, toxic oil (e.g. argemone oil) and mineral oil.

7. Honey :- It is adulterated with sugar and jaggery.

Material required

1. Glass Wares :

• Test Tube, Beaker, Slides

2. Food Samples.

• Ghee, Milk, Oil, Pulses samples.

3. Chemical Required

• Conc. HCl., Conc. Nitric Acid.

4. Test Tube stand.

Procedure for detection the Adulteration in the food Items

Adulteration in the food material can be detected in the following ways.

1. Vanaspti in Ghee :- Took one tea spoon full of liquid ghee. Added equal quantity of conc. HCl shook this mixture in a test tube. Now added a pinch of common sugar. Shook it well for about one minute and then allowed it to stand for 5 minute and observed the result.

2. Water in milk sample:- Put a drop of sample milk on a plain slide. Tittled the slide and observed the result.

3. Agremone oil in edible oil :- Took some amount of edible oil in a test tube. Poured 3-4 drops of conc nitric acid. Shook it well and observed the result.

4. Metanil yellow in Dal :- Took 5 gms of sample. Add 5ml of water and a few drops of dil. HCl and observed the result.

Observation

Table-A:- Detection of vanaspati in ghee

Sr.No. Sample Procedure Observation

1. Ghee A Sample+Conc. + + +

HCl + Sugar Crimson colour in

lower layer of the

mixture

2. Ghee B -do- + +

3. Ghee C -do- -

Table-B:- Detection of water in Milk

Sr.No. Sample Procedure Observation

1. Milk A Sample on a +

plain slide +

titled the slide

2. Milk B -do- + +

3. Milk C -do- + + +

Table-C:- Detection of metanil yellow in dal

Sr.No. Sample Procedure Observation

1. Pulse A 5gm of sample + + +

5ml of water + Pink colour

Conc. HCl appearance

2. Pulse B -do- -

3. Pulse C -do- -

Table-D:- detection of Argemone oil in edible oil

Sr.No. Sample Procedure Observation

1. Edible Oil A 5 ml Sample + + + +

3 drops of
Reddish Brown

conc. HNO3 colour

2. Edible Oil B -do- + +

3. Edible Oil C -do- +

Conclusions

In Table A [Detection of Vanaspati in Ghee]

Ghee A : It gives most positive test, hence is most adulterated.

Ghee B : It gives more positive test, hence is more adulterated.

Ghee C : It gives negative test, hence is not adulterated.

In Table B [Detection of Water in Milk]

Milk A : It gives positive test to small extant hence is least adulterated.

Milk B : It gives more positive test, hence is more adulterated.

Milk C : It gives most positive test, hence is most adulterated.

In Table C [Detection of Metanil Yellow in Dal]

Pulse A : It gives positive test, hence is adulterated.

Pulse B : It gives most negative test, hence is not adulterated.

Pulse C : It gives more negative test, hence is not adulterated.

In Table D [Detection of Argemone Oil in Edible Oil]

Edible Oil A : It gives most positive test, hence is most adulterated.

Edible Oil B : It gives more positive test, hence is more adulterated.

Edible Oil C : It gives positive test to small extent, hence is least adulterated.