The prevention of food adulteration

SMG BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Food adulteration is defined as ‘the intentional addition of non-permitted foreign matter’.

Reasons for food adulteration areTo get more profitTo increase the weight, adulterant is added.To increase volume of trade by showing lower prices.

Common adulterants present in food:Milk - Addition of water/removal of fat.Skim milk - soluble starch.Cream -foreign fats.Ghee -Hydrogenated fat/animal fat.Vegetable oils -Cheap/non edible oil like linseed, mineral oils.Wheat and rice -stonesBengal gram dhal -Kesari dhal.Chilli powder- Starch colored red by tar dye.Black pepper- Dried papaya seedsHoney -colored sugar syrup.Tea - exhausted tea leaves.

Food Contaminants as Allergens

The Contaminants of food for example preservatives, insecticides and insect excreta or fragments may act as allergens and the food by itself may be harmless. The common additives include color, flavoring materials, preservatives, and insecticides, etc.

 For example, Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (N D G TA) is an antioxidant used in food fats, which has been found to produce allergic reactions in some individuals.   

Allergic reaction arising due to food allergy are of 2 types .

1.Immediate reaction.2.Delayed reaction.

Symptoms Skin manifestations. Examples include cancer sores,

purities, urinary (rashes) dermatitis, blisters and edema.

INJURIES DUE TO HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS

To prevent working injuries throughout the Group, it is important to maintain high priority on planning and work with chemicals. A number of ongoing projects are aimed at reducing or eliminating the risks of handling chemicals. The substitution principle, i.e. replacing hazardous chemicals with less hazardous ones, is an important part of this risk prevention work. For example, measures have been taken to replace allergenic chemicals.

Foods Commonly Involved Mustard seeds

Adulterants in food• Argemone seeds

Diseases or Health Effects • Epidemic dropsy,• Glaucoma,• Cardiac arrest

Test • Add 5 ml, conc. HNO3 to 5 ml.sample. Shake carefully.

Allow to separate yellow, orange yellow, crimson colour in the lower acid layer indicates adulteration.

Foods Commonly InvolvedEdible oils and fats

Adulterants in food• Argemone oil

Diseases or Health Effects • Epidemic dropsy,• Glaucoma,• Cardiac arrest

Test • Add 5 ml, conc. HNO3 to 5 ml.sample. Shake carefully.

Allow to separate yellow, orange yellow, crimson colour in the lower acid layer indicates adulteration.

Foods Commonly Involved Vegetable oil

• Castor oil

Test • Take 1 ml. of oil in a clean dry test tube. Add 10 ml. Of acidified

petroleum ether. Shake vigorously for 2 minutes. Add 1 drop of Ammonium Molybdate reagent. The formation of turbidity indicates presence of Castor oil in the sample.

Foods Commonly InvolvedGhee

• Mashed Potato• Sweet Potato, etc.

Test • Boil 5 ml. Of the sample in a test tube. Cool and a drop of

iodine solution. Blue colour indicates presence of Starch.  colour disappears on boiling &  reappears on cooling.

Foods Commonly InvolvedGhee

• Vanaspati

Test • Take 5 ml. Of the sample in a test tube. Add 5 ml. Of Hydrochloric

acid and 0.4 ml of 2% furfural solution or sugar crystals. Insert the glass stopper and shake for 2 minutes. Development of a pink or red colour indicates presence of Vanaspati in Ghee.

Foods Commonly InvolvedGhee

• Rancid stuff (old ghee)

Test • Take one teaspoon of melted sample and 5 ml. Of HCl in a stoppered

glass tube. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Add 5 ml. Of 0.1% of ether solution of Phloroglucinol. Restopper & shake for 30 seconds and allow to stand for 10 minutes. A pink or red colour in the lower(acid layer) indicates rancidity.

Foods Commonly InvolvedGhee

• Synthetic Colouring Matter

Test • Pour 2 gms. Of filtered fat dissolved in ether. Divide into 2 portions.

Add 1 ml. Of HCl to one tube. Add 1 ml. Of 10% NaOH to the other tube. Shake well and allow to stand. Presence of pink colour in acidic solution or yellow colour in alkaline solution indicates added colouring matter.

Foods Commonly InvolvedHoney

• Invert sugar/jaggery

Test •   Fiehe’s Test: Add 5 ml. Of solvent ether to 5 ml. Of honey. Shake

well and decant the ether layer in a petri dish. Evaporate completely by blowing the ether layer. Add 2 to 3 ml. Of resorcinol (1 gm. Of resorcinol resublimed in 5 ml. Of conc. HCl.) Appearance of cherry red colour indicates presence of sugar/jaggery.

Foods Commonly InvolvedHoney

• Invert sugar/jaggery

Test •  Aniline Chloride Test : Take 5 ml. Of honey in a

porcelain dish. Add Aniline Chloride solution (3 ml of  Aniline and 7 ml. Of 1:3 HCl) and stir well. Orange red colour indicates presence of sugar.

Foods Commonly InvolvedAs a substitute for cumin seed,

Poppy seed, black pepperAdulterants in food• Artificially coloured

foreign seeds

Diseases or Health Effects • Injurious to health

Test • Pour the seeds in a beaker containing Carbon

tetra-chloride. Black papaya seeds float on the top while the pure black pepper seeds settle down.

Foods Commonly InvolvedTea

• Adulterants in food• Foreign leaves or

exhausted tea leaves, saw dust artificially coloured

Diseases or Health Effects • injurious to health, • cancer

Test• Take a fillter paper and put some tea on it and add few

drops of cold water if artificially coloured the colour will appear.

Foods Commonly InvolvedOils

Adulterants in food• TCP• Rancid oil

Diseases or Health Effects • Paralysis • Destroys vitamin A and E

Test

Foods Commonly InvolvedFood grains, pulses etc.

Adulterants in food• Sand, marble chips,

stones, filth

Diseases or Health Effects • Damage digestive tract

Test• Separate out the seeds by physical

examination.

Foods Commonly Involved Khesari dal alone orMixed in other pulses

Adulterants in food• Lathyrus sativus

Diseases or Health Effects • Lathyrism (crippling

spastic paraplegia)

Test • Add 50 ml. Of dil.HCl to a small quantity of dal and keep

on simmering water for about 15 minutes. The pink colour, if developed indicates the presence of Kesari dal.

Pulses/Besan

Foods Commonly Involvedpulses

Adulterants in food• Metanil Yellow(dye)

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Add conc.HCl to a small quantity of dal in a little amount

of water. Immediate development of pink colour indicates the presence of metanil yellow and similar colour dyes.

Foods Commonly Involvedpulses

Adulterants in food• Lead Chromate

Diseases or Health Effects• Anemia, abortion,

paralysis, brain damage

Test • Shake 5 gm. Of pulse with 5 ml. Of water and add

a few drops of HCl. Pink colour indicates Lead Chromate.

Foods Commonly InvolvedBajra

Adulterants in food• Ergot infested Bajra

Diseases or Health Effects• Ergotism (St.Anthony’s

fire-burning sensation in extremities, itching of skin, peripheral gangrene)

Test • Swollen and black Ergot infested grains will turn

light in weight and will float also in water

Foods Commonly InvolvedWheat flour

Adulterants in food• Excessive sand & dirt

Diseases or Health Effects• Damage digestive tract

Test • Shake a little quantity of sample with about 10

ml. Of Carbon tetra chloride and allow to stand. Grit and sandy matter will collect at the bottom.

Foods Commonly InvolvedWheat flour

Adulterants in food• Excessive bran

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Sprinkle on water surface. Bran will float on the

surface.

Foods Commonly InvolvedWheat flour

Adulterants in food• Chalk powder

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Shake sample with dil.HCl Effervescence

indicates chalk.

Foods Commonly InvolvedCommon spices like Turmeric, chilly, curry

powder,etc.Adulterants in food• Colour

Diseases or Health Effects • Anemia, abortion,

paralysis, brain damage• Cancer, orthiritis

Test • Extract the sample with Petroleum ether and add 13N H2SO4 to the

extract. Appearance of red colour (which persists even upon adding  little distilled water) indicates the presence of added colours. However, if the colour disappears upon adding distilled water the sample is not adulterated.

Foods Commonly InvolvedSpices(Ground)

Adulterants in food• Powdered bran and saw

dust

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Sprinkle on water surface. Powdered bran and

sawdust float on the surface.

Foods Commonly InvolvedCoriander powder

Adulterants in food• Dung powder

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Soak in water. Dung will float and can be easily

detected by its foul smell.

Foods Commonly InvolvedCoriander powder

Adulterants in food• Common salt

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • To 5 ml. Of sample add a few drops of silver

nitrate. White precipitate indicates adulteration.

Foods Commonly InvolvedChillies

Adulterants in food• Brick powder grit, sand,

dirt, filth, etc.

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Pour the sample in a beaker containing a mixture

of chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. Brick powder and grit will settle at the bottom.

Foods Commonly InvolvedBadi Elaichi seeds

Adulterants in food• Choti Elaichi seeds

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Separate out the seeds by physical examination.

The seeds of Badi Elaichi have nearly plain surface without wrinkles or streaks while seeds of cardamom have pitted or wrinkled ends.

Foods Commonly Involved Edible oils and fats,

Black pepperAdulterants in foodChemical Contamination• Mineral oil (white oil,

petroleum fractions)

Diseases or Health Effects • Cancer

Test

Foods Commonly InvolvedTurmeric whole and powdered,

mixed spices Adulterants in food• Lead  chromate

Diseases or Health Effects • Anemia, abortion,

paralysis, brain damage

Test • Ash the sample. Dissolve it in 1:7 Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)

and filter. Add 1 or 2 drops of 0.1% dipenylcarbazide. A pink colour indicates presence of Lead Chromate.

Foods Commonly InvolvedTurmeric whole and powdered,

mixed spices Adulterants in food• Metanil Yellow

Diseases or Health Effects • Cancer, ortheritis

Test • Add few drops of conc.Hydrochloric acid (HCl) to sample.

Instant appearance of violet colour, which disappears on dilution with water, indicates pure turmeric. If colour persists Metanil yellow is present.

Foods Commonly InvolvedCumin seeds(Black jeera)

Adulterants in food• Grass seeds coloured

with charcoal dust

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Rub the cumin seeds on palms. If palms turn black

adulteration in indicated.

Foods Commonly InvolvedAsafoetida(Heeng)

Adulterants in food• Soap stone, other earthy

matter

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Shake a little quantity of powdered sample with

water. Soap stone or other earthy matter will settle at the bottom.

Foods Commonly InvolvedAsafoetida(Heeng)

Adulterants in food• Chalk

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Shake sample with Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4).

Asafoetida will settle down. Decant the top layer and add dil.HCl to the residue. Effervescence shows presence of  chalk.

Foods Commonly InvolvedFoodgrains

Adulterants in food• Hidden insect infestation

Diseases or Health Effects

Test • Take a filter paper impregnated with Ninhydrin (1% in alcohol.) Put

some grains on it and then fold the filter paper and crush the grains with hammer. Spots of bluish purple colour indicate presence of hidden insects infestation

Foods Commonly InvolvedAlcoholic liquors

Adulterants in food• Methanol

Diseases or Health Effects • Blurred vision, blindness,

death

Foods Commonly InvolvedFruits such as apples sprayed over

with lead arsenate Adulterants in food• Cadmium

Diseases or Health Effects • ‘Itai-itai (ouch-ouch) disease, 

Increased salivation, acute gastritis, liver and kidney damage, prostrate cancer

Foods Commonly InvolvedFoods contaminated by rat poisons

(Barium  carbonate) Adulterants in food• Barium

Diseases or Health Effects • Violent peristalisis, arterial

hypertension, muscular twitching, convulsions, cardiac disturbances

Foods Commonly InvolvedFruit juices, soft drinks, etc. in contact with

cadmium plated vessels or equipment. Cadmium contaminated water and shell-fish

Adulterants in food• Cadmium

Diseases or Health Effects • ‘Itai-itai (ouch-ouch) disease, 

Increased salivation, acute gastritis, liver and kidney damage, prostrate cancer

Foods Commonly InvolvedWater, liquors

Adulterants in food• Cobalt

Diseases or Health Effects• Cardiac insufficiency and

mycocardial failure

Foods Commonly InvolvedWater, natural and processed food Adulterants in food• Lead

Diseases or Health Effects • Lead poisoning (foot-drop,

insomnia, anemia, constipation, mental retardation, brain damage)

•  

Foods Commonly InvolvedFood

Adulterants in food• Copper• Tin• Zinc

Diseases or Health Effects • Vomiting, diarrhoea • Colic, vomiting • Colic, vomiting

Foods Commonly InvolvedMercury fungicide treated seed grains

or mercury contaminated fish Adulterants in food• Mercury

Diseases or Health Effects • Brain damage, paralysis,

death

Detection Kit