STUDY OF

ADULTERANTS IN
FOOD STUFF

INDEX
SI.
No

Content

Page
No.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Objective
Introduction
Theory
Experiment-1
Experiment-2
Experiment-3
Result
Conclusion
Bibliography

1
2
3
4
6
7
9
11
12

OBJECTIVE
Page No-1

The aim of the projec t is to study some of the

common food adulterants present in different food
stuff.

INTRODUCTION
Page No-2

Adulteration in food is normally present in its

most from prohibited substances are either added
or partly or wholely substituted. Normally the
contaminated or adulterant in food is done either
for financial gain or due to carelessness and lack of
proper hygenic condition of processing, storing,
transportation, and marketing. This ultimately
result that the consumer in either heated or often
become victims of the diseases. Such type of
adultration are quite common in developing
countries or backward countries. It is equally
important for the consumer to know the common
adulterants if its quantity is low or affected by the
addition of substance which are injurious to health
or by the removal of substances which are
nutritious. It is defined as the act of contentially
decreasing the quality of food affected for scale
either by the administration of substance.
Adulterants food is dangerous because
it maybe toxic and can affect health. Some of the
common adultered food are milk, milk products,
Atta, tea, coffee, baking powder, curry powder,
vinegar, oil etc.

THEORY

Page No-3

The increasing number of food produce

and the outstanding amount of import food stuff
enables the producer to mislead and cheat
consumer. To differentiate those who take
advantage of legal rules from ones who commit
food advantage adulteration is very difficult.
Ignorance and unfair market behaviour may
endanger consumer health and misleading can
lead to poisonus so we need simple screening test
for this detection.
In the past few decades adulteration of
food has become one of the serious problem.
Consumption of adulterated of food has become
one of the reason for disease like cancer, diarrhea,
asthma, ulcer etc. Majority of fats, oils and butter
are paraffin wax, castor oil and hydrocarbons. Red
chilli powder is usually mised with brick powder
and pepper is mixed with dried pappaya seed.
These adulterants can be easily identified by
simple chemical test.
AGMARK:
Acronym for Agricultural Marketing. This is an
objective to promote the grading and

standardization of agricultural and allied products.

EXPERIMENT-1
Page No-4

AIM
To check the presence of adulterants in fat oil
and butter.
REQUIREMENTS
Test tube, conc. HCl, acetic anhydride, conc.
H2SO4, CH3COOH, conc. HNO3
PROCEDURE
Common adulterants present in ghee and oil are
paraffin wax, hydrocarbon, dyes and argemone
oil. They are detected as follows:
1.Adulteration of vegetable ghee in desi ghee:
Take a small amount of desi ghee in a test
tube and add to it 1ml of HCl and 2-3 frops of
2% of alcoholic solution and shake the
content vigorously. Appearance of ref colour
in acid shows that vegetable ghee has been
mixed as an adulterant to desi ghee.

2.Adulteration of Paraffin Wax and hydrocarbon

in vegetable ghee
Heat small amount of vegetable ghee
with acetic anhydride. Droplets of oil floating
on the surface proves presence of wax.
3.Adulteration of Dyes in Fat
Heat 1ml of fat with a mixture of 1ml of
conc.H2SO4 and 4ml of CH3COOH.
Appearance of pink and red colour indicates
presence of dyes in fats.
4.Adulteration of Argemone oil in edible oils
To small amount of oil in a test tube add a
few drops of conc. H2SO4 and shak.
Appearance of red colour in the acid layer
indicates presence of Argemone oil.

EXPERIMENT-2

Page

No-6

AIM
To detect the presence of Adulterants in Sugar.
REQUIREMENTS
Test tube, conc.H2SO4, alcoholic solution of napthol, dil. HCl
PROCEDURE
Sugar is usually contaminated with washing
soda and other insoluble substance which are
diluted as follows:
1.Adulteration of various insoluble substances
in Sugar.
To 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.
2.Adulteration of chalk powder or washing
soda in sugar.
To small amout of sugar in a test tube add
a few drops of dil.HCl . Brisk effervescence of
CO2 shows the presence of chalk powder or
washing soda in given sample of sugar.

EXPERIMENT-3
Page No-7

AIM
To detect the presence of adulterants in sample
of chilli powder, turmeric powder and pepper.
REQUIREMENTS
Test tube, 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 pappaya seeds
respectively. They are detected as follows:
1.Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli powder.
To a sample of chilli powder, add dil. HNO3
filter solution and add 2 drop of KI solution to
the filtrate. Yellow precipitate indicates the
presence of lead salts in chilli powder.
2.Adulteration of Yellow Lead salts in tumeric
powder
To sample of turmeric powder add conc.HCl

appearance of magneta colour shows the

presence of yellow oxides of lead salts in
turmeric powder.
3.Adulteration of Brick powder in chilli powder
Add small amount of givrn red chilli powder
in beaker containing water. Brick powder
settles doen at the bottom while chilli powder
floats over water.
4.Adulteration of dried pappaya seeds in pepper
Add a small amount of papper to a beaker
containing water and stir with a glass rod.
Dried pappaya seed floats over water while
pure pepper settle at the bottom.

RESULT
Ex. EXPERIMENT
No.
1(i) Adulteration of
vegetable
ghee in desi
ghee.

Page No-9

PROCEDURE

Take small
amount of desi
ghee in a test
tube and add to
it 1ml of HCl and
2-3 drops of 2%
alcoholic
solution.
(ii) Adulteration of Heat small
Paraffin wax
amount of
and
vegetable ghee
hydrocarbons with acetic acid
in vegetable
anhydride
ghee.
droplets of oil
floating on the
surface of acetic
anhydride
shows the
presence of wax
or
hydrocarbons.
(iii) Adulteration of Heat 1ml of fat

OBSERVATIO
NS
Appearance
of Red
colour.

Droplets of
oil floating
on the
surface of
acetic
anhydride.

Appearance

dyes in fat.

(iv) Adulteration of
argemone oil
in edible oil.

2(i) Adulteration of
various
insoluble
substance in
sugar
(ii) Adulteration of
chalk powder
and washing
soda in sugar.
3(i) Adulteration of
red lead salts
in chilli
powder.

with a mixture
of 1ml of
conc.H2SO4 and
4ml of acetic
acid.
To some oil in a
test tube add
few drops of
conc.HNO3 and
shake.
Take small
amount of sugar
in a test tube
and shake it
with little water.
To small amount
of sugar in a tes
tube add a few
drops of dil. HCl.
To sample of
chilli powder
add dil.HNO3
and filter the
solution and 2
drop of KI
solution to
filtrate.

of pink and
red colour.

Appearace
of red
colour.

Impurity
remains
insoluble.

Brisk
efferevesce
nce
Yellow
precipitate

(ii)

Adulteration of
yello lead salt
in turmeric
powder.
(iii) Adulteration of
brick powder
in chilli
powder.

To sample of
Appearance
turmeric powder of magnite
add conc.HCl.
colour
Add small
amount of givn
red chilli in a
beaker
containing
water.

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

CONCLUSION
Page No-11

Selection of whole some and non adultered food

is essential for daily life to makesure that such food

do not cause any health hazards. It is not possible

to ensure wholesome food only a unusual
examination when the toxic contamination are
present in parts per million level. However usual
examination of the food before purchase is
necessary by making sure to ensure insects,
fungus or any foreign matter. Therefore due care
taken by the consumer at the time of purchase of
food after thorughly examining can be a great help
secondly label declaration on packed food is very
important for ensuring the ingredients and
nutritional value. It also helps in checking the
freshness of the food and the period before which
the product should be consumed. The consumer
should avoid taking food from unhygienic place and
food being prepared under no hygienic condition
may cause various disease. Consumption of cut
fruit being solden in a unhygienic area should be
avoided. It is always better to buy certified food
from reputed shops.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Page No-12

Encarta Encyclopedia
www.wikipedia.com
www.icbse.com
www.answer.com