Index

Serial Topic Page

number number
1 Introduction 1-2
2 Theory 3
3 Precautions 4
4 Experiment 1-3 8
· Aim
· Apparatus
required
· Procedure

5 Observation 9-10
6 Conclusion 11
7 Bibliography 12
INTRODUCTION

Food adulteration refers to the alteration of food quality that takes

place deliberately. It includes the addition of ingredients to modify
different properties of food products for economic advantage.
Color, appearance, taste, weight, volume, and shelf life are such
food properties. Substitution of food or its nutritional content is
also accomplished to spark the apparent quality. Substitution with
species, protein content, fat content, or plant ingredients are
major forms of food substitution. Origin misrepresentation of food
is often practiced to increase the market demand of food. Organic
and synthetic compounds are added to ensure a rapid effect on
the human body.

Adulterated food products are responsible for mild to severe

health impacts as well as financial damage. Diarrhea, nausea,
allergic reaction, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc., are
frequently observed illnesses upon consumption of adulterated
food. Some adulterants have shown carcinogenic, clastogenic,
and genotoxic properties. Adulteration of foodstuffs has been
frequently observed for centuries due to the contribution of
several common reasons. The perishable nature, heterogeneity,
and huge production of certain food items have always been
tempting for dishonest traders; the similarity and diversity of
animal species, stock limitation, and market price pressure also
encourage them to perform intentional adulteration.

Some food items have been severely prone to adulteration due to

possessing high dietary value and vast popularity. Food with a
narrow profit margin also have frequently appeared in fraud lists.
Beverages and other liquid foods have drawn special attraction,
with a wide variation in chemical composition, high quality, long
aging time, and high production cost .The competitive nature of
the food industry due to consumer’s extensive demand for variety
and low-cost food products has stimulated this issue further. In
addition, the limitation of raw materials, demand–supply gap, and
the ever-present tendency to reduce cost and maximize profits
have created more opportunities and interest for invidious
traders. Other reasons include degraded moral society, spoiled
socio-economic structure, and low legal standards, and their
improper enforcement may play a significant role
Many food adulteration incidents were encountered in the past.
The China gutter oil scandal is such an example that used illicit
cooking oil from restaurant fryers, grease traps, and
slaughterhouse waste, or extracted from discarded animal parts.
Later, such contaminated food products were also found in
Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Addition of Sudan dye was
reported in fats and oils, herbs and spices, food additives, and
flavorings several times. In 2007, two cases of tetrodotoxin
poisoning were found, which were caused by substitution of
monkfish with pufferfish. In 2008, the contamination of powdered
infant milk in China caused illness in 294,000 children, with
50,000 hospitalizations and 6 deaths.
The FDA is charged with enforcing truthful and informative
labeling of essential commodities, maintaining staff laboratories,
and formulating definitions and standards promoting fair dealing
in the interests of the consumer. The 1938 act broadened the
definitions of adulteration, misbranding, and lack of informative
labeling; it provided for factory inspections; and it increased the
penalties for violations. It was amended in 1958 and 1962 to
define and regulate food additives and food coloring. The federal
law controls traffic from one state to another and is supplemented
by local regulations that require food handlers to be licensed,
thereby discouraging the spread of disease; it provides for the
inspection by health officers of meat and other foods, of
restaurants, and of dairies and cold storage methods. Imported
foods that violate the provisions of the act may be denied
admittance to the United States and if not removed within a given
time may be destroyed.

Objective
The Objective of this project is to study some of the
common food adulterants present in different food .

THEORY
The increasing number of food producers and the outstanding
amount of import foodstuffs enables the producers to mislead and
cheat consumers.
To differentiate those who take advantage of legal rules from the
ones who commit food adulteration is very difficult. The
consciousness of consumers would be crucial. Ignorance and
unfair market behavior may endanger consumer health and
misleading can lead to poisoning.
So we need simple screening tests for their detection. In the past
few decades, adulteration of food has become one of the serious
problems. Consumption of adulterated food causes serious
diseases like cancer, diarrhoea, asthma, ulcers, etc. Majority of
fats, oils and butter are paraffin wax, castor oil and hydrocarbons.
Red chilli powder is mixed with brick powder and pepper is mixed
with dried papaya seeds. These adulterants can be easily
identified by simple chemical tests.
Several agencies have been set up by the Government of India to
remove adulterants from food.
AGMARK - acronym for agricultural marketing....this organization
certifies food products for their quality.
Its objective is to promote the Grading and Standardization of
agricultural and allied commode.

PRECAUTIONS

By taking a few precautions, we can escape from consuming

adulterated products.
1. Take only packed items of well-known companies.
2. Buy items from reliable retail shops and recognized
outlets.
3. Check the ISI mark or Agmark.
4. Buy products of only air tight popular brands.
5. Avoid craziness for artificially colored sweets and buy only
from reputed shops.
6. Do not buy sweets or snacks kept in open.
7. Avoid buying things from street side vendors.
EXPERIMENT 1

Aim :
To detect the presence of adulterants in fat, oil and butter.

APPARATUS REQUIRED :
Test-tube, acetic anhydride, conc. H2SO4, acetic acid, conc.
HNO3.

PROCEDURE :
Common adulterants present in ghee and oil are parain wax,
hydrocarbons, dyes and argemone oil. These are detected as
follows :

(i) Adulteration of parain wax and hydrocarbon in vegetable ghee

Heat small amount of vegetable ghee with acetic anhydride.
Droplets of oil loating on the surface of unused acetic anhydride
indicates the presence of wax or hydrocarbons.
(ii) Adulteration of dyes in fat Heat 1mL of fat with a mixture of
1mL of conc. sulphuric acidand 4mL of acetic acid. Appearance of
pink or red colour indicates presence of dye in fat.

(iii) Adulteration of argemone oil in edible oils Tosmall amount of

oil in a test-tube, add few drops of conc. HNO3 and shake.
Appearance of red colour in the acid layer indicates presence of
argemone oil.
EXPERIMENT 2

AIM:
To detect the presence of adulterants in sugar.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
Test-tubes, dil. HCl.

PROCEDURE:
Sugar is usually contaminated with washing soda and other
insoluble substances which are detected as follows :

(i) Adulteration of various insoluble substances in sugar Take small

amount of sugar in a test-tube and shake it with little water. Pure
sugar dissolves in water but insoluble impurities do not dissolve.

(ii) Adulteration of chalk powder, washing soda in sugar.To small

amount of sugar in a test-tube, add few drops of HCl. Brisk
efervescence of CO2 shows thepresence of chalk powder or
washing soda in the given sample of sugar.
EXPERIMENT 3

AIM :
To detect the presence of adulterants in samples of chilli powder,
turmeric powder and pepper.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
Test-tubes, conc. HCl, dil. HNO3, KI solution.

PROCEDURE:
Common adulterants present in chilli powder, turmeric powder
and pepper are red coloured lead salts, yellow lead salts and dried
papaya seeds respectively. They are detected as follows :

(i) Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli powder To a sample of

chilli powder, add dil. HNO3. Filter the dil solution and add 2 drops
of potassium iodide solution to the iltrate. Yellow ppt. indicates
the presence of lead salts in chilli powder.

(ii) Adulteration of yellow lead salts to turmeric powder To a

sample of turmeric powder add conc. HCl. Appearance of
magenta colour shows the presence of yellow oxides of lead in
turmeric powder.

(iii) Adulteration of brick powder in red chilli powder Add small

amount of given red chilli powder in beaker containing water.
Brick powder settles at the bottom while pure chilli powder floats
over water.
(iv) Adulteration of dried papaya seeds in pepper Add small
amount of sample of pepper to a beaker containing water and stir
with a glass rod. Dried papaya seeds being lighter float over
water while pure pepper settles at the bottom.
OBSERVATION

Experiment Experiment Procedure Observation

Number
1 Adulteration Heat 1mL of Appearance
of fat of
dyes in fat with a mixture pink colour.
of 1mL of
conc.
H2SO4 and
4mL
of acetic acid.
2 Adulteration To small No red colour
of amount observed
argemone oil of oil in a test
in tube, add few
edible oils drops of conc.
HNO3 &
shake.

3 Adulteration Adulteration Pure sugar

of of dissolves in
various various water but
insoluble insoluble insoluble
substances in substances in impurities do
sugar sugar not dissolve.
4 Adulteration To small No brisk
of amount effervescence
chalk powder, of sugar in a observed.
washing soda test
in tube, add a
sugar few
drops of dil.
HCl
5 Adulteration To sample of Appearance
of turmeric of
yellow lead powder, add magenta
 salts conc. HCl. colour
to turmeric
powder

6 Adulteration To a sample of No yellow

of chilli powder, precipitate.
red lead salts add dil. HNO3.
in Filter the
chilli powder. solution and
add
2 drops of KI
solution to the
filtrate.
7 Adulteration Add small Brick powder
of amount of settles at the
brick powder given bottom while
in red chilli pure chilli
chilli powder powder in a powder floats
beaker over water.
containing
water
8 Adulteration Add small Dried papaya
of amount of seeds being
dried papaya sample of lighter float
seeds in pepper to over
pepper beaker water while
containing pure pepper
water and stir settles at the
with a glass bottom.
rod.
CONCLUSION

Selection of wholesome and non-adulterated food is essential for

daily
life to make sure that such foods do not cause any health hazard.
It is
not possible to ensure wholesome food only on visual examination
when the toxic contaminants are present in ppm level. However,
visual
examination of the food before purchase makes sure to ensure
absence of insects, visual fungus, foreign matters, etc. Therefore,
due
care taken by the consumer at the time of purchase of food after
thoroughly examining can be of great help. Secondly, label
declaration
on packed food is very important for knowing the ingredients and
nutritional value. It also helps in checking the freshness of the
food and
the period of best before use. The consumer should avoid taking
food
from an unhygienic place and food being prepared under
unhygienic
conditions. Such types of food may cause various diseases.
Consumption of cut fruits being sold in unhygienic conditions
should be
avoided. It is always better to buy certified food from reputed
shops.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Website
· www.wikipedia.org
· www.google.com
· www.yahoo.com

 BOOKS:
· Comprehensive Practical Manual
· Pradeep’s New Course Chemistry
· NCERT Class XII