Download - 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