Scientists and researchers at the In-dian Institute of Spices Research-Kozhikode (IISR) have detected adul-

teration in spices available in the domestic market using DNA barcoding. After a se-ries of studies since 2010, IISR scientists found that black pepper, chilli powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon bark and mace were adulterated using plant-based adulterants.

“Of the five samples of nutmeg mace collected from the local market in Kozhikode, three were adulterated with Bombay mace which is yellow in colour, lacks aroma and is of inferior quality and mainly used as a natural dye source. Mor-phological differentiation may be possible between the genuine and adulterant com-modity in fresh or whole form. But dis-crimination becomes difficult if the sam-ple dries, ages and is powdered as they lose their characteristic morphological and diagnostic features. Nutmeg mace also turns yellow on ageing, fetching a premi-um price and thus it becomes handy for unscrupulous elements to adulterate the genuine commodity with the spurious one,” said Dr B Sasikumar, head of crop

improvement and biotechnology division, ICAR- IISR, Kozhikode.

When tested, three out of 10 turmeric samples analysed were found to be adulter-ated with wild turmeric ('manja koova') or fillers like cassava starch, wheat or barley powder. A similar analysis of nine brand-ed market samples of black pepper powder has found out that two were adulterated with chilli powder. At the same time, chil-li powder sold in Kerala markets were adulterated with powdered fruits of choti ber. Regarding cinnamon bark, adultera-tion of cassia was found in seven out of 10 market samples.

Compared to other conventional ana-lytical tools, DNA barcoding is a reliable technology that can accurately detect adul-teration in spices. The technology uses very short sequences of DNA of any given species to detect the purity of the sample. “Other techniques used for adulterant de-tection of food and agricultural commod-ities include physical methods, chemical or biochemical methods and immunoas-say. Although they are of considerable value in certain instances, they are not suitable for routine analyses,”he said.

A handy tool for scientists

Black pepper berries(Piper nigrum)

Ginger(Zingiber offi cinale)

Poppy seed(Papavar somniferum)

Clove(Syzygium

aromaticum) Ajowan(Trachyspermum

ammi)

Chilli fruits(Capsicum annuum)

Asafoetida

Turmeric powder(Curcuma longa)

Nutmeg(Myristica fragrans) Allspice powder

(Pimenta dioica)

Fennel(Foeniculum

vulgare)

Cinnamon bark(Cinnamomum

verum)

Mustard seed

Caraway(caravum carvi)

Mace(Myristica fragrans)

Vanillabeans

Mineral oil

Dye- Metanil Yellow, Orange II lead chromate

Chalk powder

Yellow soap stone powder

Coal tar dyes

Gypsum

Red clay

Chalk

Dye- coal tar red, sudan red, para red

Vanilyl- n-nonamide Mineral oil

Talc powder

Brick powder

Salt powder

Dyes / mineral oil

Lime,capsaicin

Exhaustedginger(volatile oil extracted).

Exhausted or partially exhausted fennel fruits

Stem tissue and stalks of fennel

Umbelliferous seeds

Rajeera seeds (Amaranthus paniculatas)

Dye

Dried papaya seed (Carica papaya)

Wild piper Spp. (P. attenuatum and P. galeatum)

Fruits of Lantana camara and Embelia ribes

Seeds of Mirabilis jalapa

Berries of Schinus molle

Exhausted black pepper

Light berries

Stems and chaff of black pepper

Wild Curcuma spp- C zedoaria Rosc or ‘yellow shotti’ syn. C xanthorrhiza Roxb.(‘Manjakua’) or C malabarica

Starch from cheaper source

Saw dust

Foreign resin- Gum arabic, gum resin colophony, galbanum, moriacum, resin, rosin

Barley

Wheat or rice fl our

Slices of potato

Bombay mace(Myristica malabarica)

Macassarmace(M argentea)

Powdered clove stemBerriesof Myrtus tobasco and Lindera benzoin

Cumin

Carumbulbocastanum

Powdered fruits of ‘Choti ber’ (Ziziphusnummularia)

Red beet pulp

Almond shell dust

Extra amounts of bleached pericarp, seeds, calyx, and peduncle of chilli

Starch of cheap origin

Tomato wastes

Lime

Capsicum,grains of paradise

Turmeric

Exhaustedgingerfortifi ed with falvours

Japanese ginger(Zingibermioga)

Powdered papaya seed

Wild piper berries

Lantana camara

Embelia ribes

Mirabilis jalapa seeds

Schinus molle berries

Exhausted black pepper and light berries

Starch from cheaper source

Black pepper powder

Chillipowder

Gingerpowder

Pieces of clay for repairing broken nutmeg

Earthy materials

Magnesiumsalt, sand, earth

Wild species- Macassar (Myristica argentea), Bombay nutmeg (M. malabarica)and M. otoba

Exhaustedajowan seeds

Excess stem & chaff

Cassia(Cinnamomumcassia)

Exhaustedclove (volatile oil extracted); stem and fruits of clove.

DNA Barcoding Is Gaining Acceptance As A Tool For Food Authentication Over Other DNA-Based Methods Due To Its Reliability, Writes Shenoy Karun

The new DNA route to clean your spices

Argemone seeds (Argemone mexicana)Rape seedragi

Added starch

Turmeric

Mustard seed

powder

Eugenol

Cylon oil

Yellow brown dye

Aromatized and powdered beechnut husk

Hazel nut

Almond shell dust

Cinnamon powder

ADULTERANTChemical/earthy material

Biologicalmaterial

Tonka beans (Dipteryx odorata); Dipteryxoppositifolia

Vanillon (Vanilla pompona)

Little vanilla (Selenipedium chica)

Leaves of orchid Angreacum fragrans and Orchis fusca

Ladie’s tresses (spiranthes cernua);

‘Vanilla-plant’(Trilisa odoratissima)

‘Herb vanilla’ (Nigritella anguistifolia)

Common sweet clovers (Melilotus spp.)

Syntheticvanillin EthylvanillinVeratraldehydePiperonalVanitropeandcoumarin

Vanilla extract

Saffron(Crocussativus)

Different parts of the saffron fl ower itself

Poppy

Arnica

Onion

Dyed corn silk

Meat fi bre

Red sandal wood

Turmeric powder

Paprika powder

Syntheticdyes- tartrazine

Ponceau 2R

Sunset yellow Amaranth

Orange GG

Methyl orange Eosin and Erythrosine

Honey

Glycerine solutions of potassium or

Ammonium nitrate

Sodium sulphate

Cassia bark(Cinnamomum

cassia)

Star anise (Illicium verum)

European dill

Bark of Cinnamomumjaponicum, C.

Mairei, C. Burmannii

Indiandill

Terpenes

Onionseeds

Nigella seeds(Nigella sativa)

Illiciumanisatum fruit

Illicium anisatum powder

Star anise powder

Fine earth materials

AniseedCardamom

seeds

Hemlockfruit

Parsley

Dill fruit

Seeds of Amomum aromaticum

A. subalatum and

A. cardamomum

Cardamomseed powder

Powdered cardamom hulls

Graphic: Karthic R

Cost of adulterant detection using DNA

barcoding may come to `3,000 - `4,000 per sample

DNA barcoding technology uses very short sequences of DNA of any

given species (plants or animals) to detect the purity of the sample

HOW SAFE ISYOUR SPICE?

(Source: Current Trends in Biotechnology and

Pharmacy)

CHASING VICTORY Jipson Sikhera

OUT OF LIMITS: Players in action during the Ernakulam sub-district senior boys Kho-Kho final matchagainst ACS Higher Secondary School and Model Technical Higher Secondary School, Kaloor, at St Antony's School ground in Kochi on Tuesday. ACS won the match

Kochi: In major haul, thepolice and the excise depart-ment seized explosives andganja from Pooppali nearPerumbavoor on Tuesday.

Mahinsha (46) of Manga-laseri Sha Manzil in Perum-

bavoor has beenarrested in con-nection with theseizure.

Police saidthat 6,400 gelatine sticksand 100 cigarettes filled withganja were seized in the ope-ration.

The accused had posses-sed 250g ganja separately.

“The accused stockedthe explosive to sell thesame at higher rates for pro-fit. He had been peddlingganja too,” said a police offi-cer.

Mahinsha was taken in-to custody based on a tip-offreceived by excise officials.

The Perumbavoor policewill conduct a detailed pro-be into the source of gelati-ne sticks seized from the ac-cused.

Man held for moneyfraud: The Kalamassery po-lice on Tuesday arrested aWest Bengal native fortransferring money fromthe debit card of an Aluvanative into his online pay-ment wallet.

Ahammed Riza (18) of

Deviganj in West Bengalwas arrested for transfer-ring Rs 10,000 from the debitcard of Nisab of Aluva, whoworks in merchant navy.

The accused committedthe fraud while working inthe cash counter of a restau-rant near Edappally toll ga-te.

“Nisab had given his de-bit card for payment at therestaurant. The accusedwho worked at the cash co-unter knew the password ofthe card and transferred Rs10,000 to ‘Paytm’ online pur-chase wallet. Nisab receivedan SMS regarding the trans-fer based on which he filed acomplaint,” said a police of-ficer.

The accused was produ-ced before the court and re-manded in judicial custodyfor 14 days.

Explosives, ganja seizednear Perumbavoor

TIMES NEWS NETWORK Police said that6,400 gelatine sticksand 100 cigarettesfilled with ganjawere seized in the operation

Kochi: Even as the NationalGreen Tribunal (NGT) is ex-pected to hear two differentbatches of petition relatedto Periyar pollution nextweek, there is growing evi-dence to support the de-mand for an authority tomonitor and protect it.

A report submitted bythe Central Pollution Con-trol Board (CPCB) beforethe NGT on action to be un-dertaken in the Eloor-Edayar contaminated area,says remediation measuresare being given utmost pri-ority.

It says that multiple con-taminants including DDT,endosulphan, chloroben-zenes and metals such asmanganese, vanadium, zincand chromium have beenfound in soil, groundwater,sediments and surface wa-ter and that immediate re-mediation measures mustbe taken to rejuvenate thewater body.

The CPCB’s submissioncame while the NGT washearing a case filed by localresidents seeking immedi-ate action to restore the wa-ter bodies of Periyar river.

Earlier, the Kerala StatePollution Control Board(KSPCB) had informed theCPCB that creeks and water-logged paddy fields in Eloor-Edayar were contaminateddue to historical dischargeof wastewater and improp-er handling and disposal ofhazardous waste by indus-tries.

The four main industriesidentified were HindustanInsecticides Ltd (HIL),FACT, Merchem and IndianRare Earths (IRE).

A preliminary investiga-tion of the Eloor area wascarried out in 2006 whereinit was found that the soil andsediments in KuzhikandomThodu (creek) and the ad-joining paddy fields are con-taminated with DDT, BHC

and Endosulphan, the re-port said.

The Kuzhikandom Tho-du originates from HIL com-pound and flows partlythrough Merchem and HILpremises and is fed by small-er drains from IRE, FACTand abandoned paddyfields.

The creek after joiningPanachithodu is called asUnthithodu, which meetsriver Periyar.

Kuzhikandom Thodustill receives treated waste-water from HIL and otherindustries. Preliminarystudies highlighted theneed to clean up the creek,the industrial sites and pad-dy fields, the report said.

Eloor-Edyaar site was se-lected as one of the prioritysites in the country needing

remediation under a Na-tional Clean Energy Fund(NCEF) project to be execut-ed by the CPCB. Central as-sistance in this project islimited to 40%, while 60% ofthe cost is borne by the stategovernment by way of ‘pol-luter pays’ principle.

The scope of work underNCEF project is to carry outdetailed site investigationsin four contaminated areas -‘Kuzhikandom Thodu’ andpaddy fields in Ammenthu-ruth–Karipadam (Eloor)and Edayattuchal and Chak-karchal (Edayar).

The NGT is hearing a pet-ition filed by local residentsdemanding zero-dischargeby industries into the Peri-yar.

Periyar MaleenikaranaVirudha Samithy (PMVS),

an NGO which is in the fore-front of protests against thepollution of the river hassought a Clean Periyar,Green Periyar action planon the lines of the Ganga Ac-tion Plan.

"We want the centre to de-clare a moratorium for newchemical industries inEloor-Edayar industrialbelt," said Purushan Eloor,research coordinator,PMVS. The NGO has sub-mitted a memorandum tothe water resources minis-ter and environment minis-ter seeking a plan of actionfor Periyar.

"The government shouldtake immediate and con-crete steps to clean up Kuz-hikandam thodu, Panachithodu, Pallipuram Chal andUnthithodu," he said.

CPCB report shows need for urgent action Sudha.Nambudiri@timesgroup.com PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Multiple contaminants including DDT, Endosulphan, Chlorobenzenes and metals (mainly Manganese, Vanadium, Zinc and Chromium) found in soil, groundwater, sediments and surface water

Contamination limited to swamps and areas along the Kuzhikandom Thodu within the industrial premises of HIL and Merchem

Contamination mainly dispersed through the Kuzhikandom Thodu with impacted surface waters and sediment

There is limited or localized contamination in paddy fields

Soil collected in IRE along the swamp area had high metal concentration, some of which was seen in runoff water

at this location

Heavy metals were identified exceeding Tier-1 screening levels within the industrial premises, paddy fields and off-site areas

Active contamination in open drains due to contaminated runoff water/wastewater from HIL and Merchem

WE WANT THE CENTRE TO DECLARE A MORATORIUM FOR NEW CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES IN ELOOR-EDAYAR INDUSTRIAL BELT. THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE CONCRETE STEPS TO

CLEAN UP KUZHIKANDAM THODU, PANACHI THODU, PALLIPURAM CHAL AND UNTHITHODU– Purushan Eloor | RESEARCH COORDINATOR, PMVS

Kochi: The Eloor-Edayar in-dustrial cluster is sandwichedbetween two local bodies, Ka-dungalloor grama panchayatand Eloor municipality. In-dustries in the area are large-ly concentrated on the banksof river Periyar.

The cluster is home tomore than 280 industrial unitsout of which 75 are in the red.These industries draws about1.89 lakh cubic meter waterdaily from Periyar and dis-charges into it about 75% ofthe used water, which is treat-ed, untreated and partiallytreated. The discreet dis-charge of trade effluents andwastes in slurry form into Pe-riyar has turned the river intoan illegal ‘Treatment Storageand Disposal Facility (TSDF)’the Supreme Court Monitor-ing Committee on hazardouswastes had observed.

Most of the industries inEloor-Edayar industrial clus-ter are located on the easternand western banks of the riv-er in the Eloor stretch. Illegaldischarge from industriesand massive fish kill is a fre-quent phenomenon down-stream of river Periyar.

75% of wastewater released back into river

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

SAVING PERIYAR

TIMES CITYTHE TIMES OF INDIA, KOCHI | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016

NO CHANGE IN GOVT STAND ON ADMISSIONS TOSELF-FINANCING MED COLLEGES, SAYS MIN | P4

A K ANTONY URGES MODI TO SEND AN ALL-PARTYDELEGATION TO KASHMIR TO RESOLVE CRISIS | P5