FOOD ADULTERATION

Adulteration of food commonly defined as “the addition or deletion of any

substance to or from food, so that the natural composition and quality of food
substance is affected. Adulteration is either intentional by either removing
substances to food or altering the existing natural properties of food knowingly.
Unintentional adulteration is usually attributed to ignorance, carelessness or lack of
facilities for maintaining food quality.

Food Adulterants are the substances which are added to food items for economic
and technical benefits but they reduce the value of nutrients in food and also
causes the food contamination leads to unfit for consumption. Food adulterants
could be available in dairy products, cereal products, meat & eggs, canned & bottled
vegetables, fruits & fruit products fats & oils, beverages etc.

Food is declared adulterated if:

 A substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it.

 Cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part.

 Any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted.

 It is an imitation.

 It is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any

added substance injurious to health.

 For whatever reasons its quality is below the Standard

Very often food is adulterated by merchants and traders who are dishonest and
want to make a quick profit. But shortages and increasing prices, consumer
demands for variety in foods, a lack of awareness, negligence, indifference and
lethargy among consumers and inadequate enforcement of food laws and food
safety measures also lead to food adulteration.
Majority of adulterants used by the shopkeepers are cheap substitutes easily
available. Classification of adulterants based on purpose

I. Intentional Adulterants: Sand, marble chips, stones, mud, other filth, talc, chalk
powder, water, mineral oil and harmful Color.

II. Incidental adulterants: Pesticide residues, droppings of rodents, larvae in foods.

III. Metallic contaminants: Arsenic from pesticides, lead from water, effluent from
chemical industries, tin from cans.

Secondary classification of adulterants based on effects

Poisonous or Deleterious Substances: Generally, if a food contains a poisonous or

deleterious substance that may render it injurious to health, it is adulterated. If a
food contains a poisonous substance in excess of a tolerance, regulatory limit, or
action level, mixing it with "clean" food to reduce the level of contamination is not
allowed. The deliberate mixing of adulterated food with good food renders the
finished product adulterated.

Filth and Foreign Matter: Filth and irrelevant material include any objectionable
substances in foods, such as foreign matter (for example, glass, metal, plastic,
wood, stones, sand, cigarette butts, etc), undesirable parts of the raw plant material
(such as stems, pits in pitted olives, pieces of shell in canned oysters), and filth
(namely, mold, rot, insect and rodent parts, excreta, decomposition).

Microbiological Contamination and Adulteration: The fact that a food is

contaminated with pathogens (harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, or
protozoa) render it adulterated. Generally, for ready-to-eat foods, the presence of
pathogens will render the food adulterated. For example, the presence of
Salmonella on fresh fruits or vegetables or in ready-to- eat meat or poultry products
will render those products adulterated.
Let us discuss individual food products adulteration and their side effects

 Milk

Adulterants: Cow/buffalo milk can be adulterated with starch, milk powder and urea

Health effect: Cancer or acute renal failure

 Tur dal, Turmeric powder, mixed spices, saffron

Adulterants: Metanil yellow, a non-permitted color is a common adulterant in food

items like laddu, tur dal and turmeric.

Health effect: tumor and cancer

 Ghee

Adulterants: Ghee essence is used in vanaspati or cheaper oils and passed off as
pure ghee.

Health effect: Cancer or acute renal failure

 Sugar and Salt

Adulterants: With chalk powder and white sand.

Health effect: Stomach disorder

 Tea powder

Adulterants : With used tea leaves, dye or artificial colour, iron fillings.

Health effect: Cancer, tetanus

 Chilli powder

Adulterants : Sudan red, Red brick powder, grit, sand, dirt, non-permitted colors and
saw dust.

Health effect : Stomach disorder, sudan dye is carsinogenic

 Mustard seeds and vegetable oil

Adulterants : Argemone seeds and argemone oil

Health effect :Epidemic dropsy

Normally the adulteration in food is done either for financial gain or due to
carelessness and lack of proper hygienic condition of processing, storing,
transportation and marketing. This ultimately results that the consumer is either
cheated or often become victim of diseases. Such types of adulteration are quite
common in developing countries or backward countries. It is equally important for
the consumer to know the common adulterants and their effect on health.

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. In
the past few decades, adulteration of food has become one of the serious problems.
Consumption of adulterated food causes serious diseases like cancer, diarrhea,
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. Overall, ignorance and unfair market behavior may endanger
consumer health and misleading can lead to poisoning. So we need simple screening
tests for their detection.
Methods for Detection of common adulterants in milk

Food: Milk

Adulterant: Starch

Method for detection: Add a few drops of iodine solution. Formation of blue colour
indicates the presence of starch.

Food: Milk

Adulterant: Urea

Method for detection: Take a teaspoon of milk in a test tube. Add ½ teaspoon of
soybean or Pigeon pea powder. Mix up the contents thoroughly by shaking the test
tube. After 5 minutes, dip a red litmus paper in it. Remove the paper after ½ a
minute. A change in colour from red to blue indicates the presence of urea in the
milk.

Food: Milk

Adulterant: Vanaspati

Method for detection: Take 3 ml of milk in a test tube. Add 10 drops of hydrochloric
acid. Mix up one teaspoonful of sugar. After 5 minutes, examine the mixture. The red
colouration indicates the presence of vanaspati in the milk.

Food: Milk

Adulterant: Formalin

Method for detection: Take 10 ml of milk in a tests tube and add 5 ml of

concentrated sulphuric acid from the sides of the wall without shaking. If a violet or
blue ring appears at the intersection of two layers then it shows presence of
formalin.

Food: Milk

Adulterant: Detergent

Method for detection: Shake 5-10 ml of sample with an equal amount of water,
formation of foam indicates the presence of detergent.
Methods for Detection of common adulterants in oils and fats

Food: Ghee

Adulterant: Vanaspati or Margarine

Method for detection: Take about one tea spoon full of melted sample of Ghee with
equal quantity of concentrated Hydrochloric acid in a stoppered test tube and add
a pinch of sugar. Shake for a minute and let it for five minutes. Appearance of
crimson colour confirms the presence of Vanaspati or Margarine.

Food: Edible oil

Adulterant: Prohibited color

Method for detection: Take 5 ml of sample in a test tube and add 5 ml of

concentrated hydrochloric acid. Shake gently, let it stand for 5 minutes. Colour will
separate in the upper layer of the solution.

Food: Coconut oil

Adulterant: Any other oil

Method for detection: Place a small bottle of oil in refrigerator. Coconut oil solidifies
leaving the adulterant as a Separate layer.
Methods for Detection of common adulterants in food grains and their products

Food: Wheat, Rice, Maize, Jawar, Bajra, chana, Barley etc.

Adulterant: Dust, pebble, stone, straw, weed seeds, damaged grain, weevilled grain,
insects, rodent hair and excreta

Method for detection: These may be examined visually to see foreign matter,
damaged grains, discoloured grains, insect, rodent contamination etc. Damaged /
discoloured grains should be as low as possible since they may be affected by fungal
toxins, Dhatura seeds etc. In moderately excessive amount can result in risk to
health, Discard the damaged undesirable grains before use.

Food: Maida/Rice

Adulterant: Boric Acid

Method for detection: Take a small amount of sample in a test tube, add some water
and shake. Add a few drops of HCl. Dip a turmeric paper strip, if it turns red, boric
acid is present.

Food: Wheat, bajra and other grains

Adulterant: Dhatura

Method for detection: Dhatura seeds are flat with edges with blackish brown colour
which can be separated out by close examination.

Food: Besan/gram powder

Adulterant: Metanil yellow

Method for detection: Take ½ teaspoon of the besan in a test tube. Pour 3 ml of
alcohol in the test tube. Mix up the contents thoroughly by shaking the test tube.
Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid. A pink colouration indicates presence of metanil
yellow in the gram powder.

Food: Pulses

Adulterant: Lead chromate

Method for detection: Shake 5 gm of pulse with 5 ml of water and add a few drops of
HCl. Pink colour indicates Lead Chromate.
Methods for Detection of common adulterants in food grains and their products

Food: Wheat, Rice, Maize, Jawar, Bajra, chana, Barley etc.

Adulterant: Dust, pebble, stone, straw, weed seeds, damaged grain, weevilled grain,
insects, rodent hair and excreta

Method for detection: These may be examined visually to see foreign matter,
damaged grains, discoloured grains, insect, rodent contamination etc. Damaged /
discoloured grains should be as low as possible since they may be affected by fungal
toxins, Dhatura seeds etc. In moderately excessive amount can result in risk to
health, Discard the damaged undesirable grains before use.

Food: Maida/Rice

Adulterant: Boric Acid

Method for detection: Take a small amount of sample in a test tube, add some water
and shake. Add a few drops of HCl. Dip a turmeric paper strip, if it turns red, boric
acid is present.

Food: Wheat, bajra and other grains

Adulterant: Dhatura

Method for detection: Datura seeds are flat with edges with blackish brown colour
which can be separated out by close examination.

Food: Besan/gram powder

Adulterant: Metanil yellow

Method for detection: Take ½ teaspoon of the besan in a test tube. Pour 3 ml of
alcohol in the test tube. Mix up the contents thoroughly by shaking the test tube.
Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid. A pink colouration indicates presence of metanil
yellow in the gram powder.

Food: Pulses

Adulterant: Lead chromate

Method for detection: Shake 5 gm of pulse with 5 ml of water and add a few drops of
HCl. Pink colour indicates Lead Chromate.
Methods for Detection of common adulterants in miscellaneous products

Food: Saffron

Adulterant: Dried tendrils of maize cobs

Method for detection: Genuine saffron will not break easily like artificial. Artificial
saffron is prepared by soaking maize cob in sugar and colouring it with coal tar
colour. The colour dissolves in water if artificially coloured. A bit of pure saffron
when allowed to dissolved in water will continue to give its saffron colour so long as
it lasts.

Food: Common salt

Adulterant: White powdered

Method for detection: Stir a spoonful of sample of salt in a glass of water. The
presence of chalk will make solution white and other insoluble impurities will settle
down.

Food: Iodinised salt

Adulterant: Common salt

Method for detection: Cut a piece of potato, add salt and wait minute and add two
drops of lemon juice. If iodized salt blue colour will develop. In case of common salt,
there will be no blue colour.

Food: Tea leaves

Adulterant: Exhausted tea

Method for detection: Spread a little slaked lime on white porcelain tile or glass
plate; sprinkle a little tea dust on the lime. Red, orange or other shades of colour
spreading on the lime will show the presence of coal tar colour. In case of genuine
tea, there will be only a slight greenish yellow colour due to chlorophyll, which
appear after some time.

Food: Vinegar

Adulterant: Mineral acid

Method for detection: Test with the Metanil yellow
indicator paper, in
CONCLUSION case, the colour changes from
yellow to pink, mineral acidNis present

The increasing number of food producers and the outstanding amounts of imported
food stuffs enables the producers to mislead and cheat consumers. Adulteration is
commonly practiced in both branded and unbranded foods in our daily life. Majority
of adulteration is intentional adulteration and it affects the people of all the age
group. Even today many people are unaware about adulteration and its harmful
effects