PROJECT-24

Study of common food adulterants in fat, oil, butter, sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder
and pepper.

Adulteration of foods mean intentional addition of cheap and harmful materials or deliberate
removal of some essential constituents of the foods. It has become very common today. Even the
cheapest food article-salt, is adulterated. Some of the common adulterants in common food stuffs
are listed below :

Food stuff Common Adulterants

Milk Water, fatless milk, starch
Desi ghee and Butter Vanaspati, powdered sweet potato, starchy materials
Vanaspati Paraffin wax, other cheap varieties of similar materials.
Mustard oil Argemone oil.
Sugar Chalk powder, washing soda, semolina.
Salt Chalk powder
Tea Used tea leaves after colouring, Dyed wooden chips.
Red chilli powder Brick powder or injurious colours
Pepper Dried papaya seeds
Turmeric powder Yellow chalk powder
Rice Stone chips resembling rice
Arhar & Gram Dal Khesari Dal.

Adulterated foods not only effects our budget but may also cause serious diseases, like
diarrhoea, ulcers, cancer etc. on consumption. Health from the ill effects of these common food
adulterants can be saved by testing the suspected food for these before eating. These adulterants
can be readily identified by simple chemical tests.
Objective I. To test the presence of water and starch in the given sample of milk.
Theory. Addition of water to milk dilutes its fat contents and therefore, lowers its specific
density. So presence of water in milk may be detected by measuring its specific density. Specific
density of pure milk is always more then 1.026.
Presence of starch materials in milk can be detected by exploiting the formation of blue-
coloured complex .with iodine or tincture of iodine.
Apparatus. Test tube, lactometer measuring cylinder.
Chemicals. Given sample of milk, sulphuric acid, iodine or tincture of iodine. Procedure, (i) Put
few drops of the milk sample on a smooth and oily surface. If the milk is pure then its drops will
be stable for sometime and leaves a white streak.
(ii) Measure the specific density of the milk with a lactometer.
(iii) Babcock test for purity of milk. This determines the fat
content in milk. About 20 mL of milk is taken with the help of a
pipette in a small narrow-necked graduated flask (as shown in
Fig) and sulphuric acid is mixed in it. The flask is shaken until
the mixture becomes dark coloured. The acid does not affect the
fat but it dissolves other solids in milk. The flask is then
centrifuged by which the fat is forced towards the neck, being
lighter than other contents. Sufficient warm water is added to
bring the fat in the narrow neck, where its exact percentage is
read on the graduation mark. .
(z'v) Testing the presence of starch in milk. Take 5 mL of
the milk sample in a test tube. Heat it to almost boiling. Cool „ „ . ,
, ,, . ,, . ,. , . r ■ 1- ,Fig. Flask for measuring
and add lew drops ol iodine solution or tincture ot iodine and ... ...
shake the contents. Appearance of a blue colour indicates the
presence of starch in the milk. If it is^pure, then there will be a deep yellow colouration due
to casein, a protein of milk.
Comment. Specific density test is not much reliable as specific density of diluted milk can
be increased by addition of some other compounds in it.
Objective 2. To test the presence of Vanaspati ghee and starchy matter in given sample of
 pure ghee or butter.
Theory. Starchy matter can be detected with iodine. Iodine forms a blue coloured complex
with starch.
Vanaspati ghee gives pink colour with furfural.
Apparatus. Test tubes, test tube stand, test-tube holder.
Chemicals. Iodine or tincture of iodine,solution, hydrochloric acid, sugar, given sample of
ghee or butter.
Procedure, (i) Detection of starchy matter. Take about 0.5 g of the given ghee or butter in
a test tube. Add about one mL of water to it and boil. Cool and add a drop of iodine or
tincture of iodine solution. Appearance of blue colour indicates presence of starchy matter in
the sample.
(ii) Detection of vanaspati. Take about 0.5 g of the given sample of ghee or butter in a
test tube. Heat the tube gently so that the ghee melts and add a little sugar and hydrochloric
acid to it. Shake the contents for five minutes. Presence of pink colour in the aqueous layer is
indication of vanaspati gfctt «v tbs sample.

I
Comment. Better remiitemr'u&G%%MMdJ&MJM J% alcoholic solution oj furfural m

place of sugar.
(i) Dyes to improve the colour of the material.
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(ii) Paraffin wax or hydrocarbons to increase the weights of products (vegetable ghee), I
thereby increasing the profit.
I
(iii) Cheap varieties of similar materials, e.g., mustard oil is adulterated with Argemone oil.
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The presence of these in oils or fats can be detected by exploiting their characteristic
i
property. .
.
I
Apparatus. Test-tubes and test-tube stand.
Chemicals. Hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, light petroleum, sulphuric acid, glacial
acetic acid and acetic anhydride.
Procedure. (/') Detection of dyes in oils and fats : (a) Take 2 gms of the melted and
filtered fat in a test tube. Add 5 mL of light petroleum to avoid its solidification and one
mL ; of hydrochloric acid (1:3) to it. Shake the tube thoroughly and allow to stand for
some time. Appearance of pink colour in the lower layer will indicate the presence of
dyes.
(b\ Mix one mL (1 gm) of the fat with one mL of mixture of concentrated sulphuric acid
and glacial acetic acid (in 1 : 4 ratio) and heat the mixture nearly to boiling. Pink or reddish
colour of the solution will indicate presence of dyes.
I
(ii) Detection of paraffin wax and hydrocarbons. Heat small amount of the unsaponifiable
matter of oils with acetic anhydride carefully. If small droplets of oil will be found floating on
the surface of unused acetic anhydride, then the oil is surely adulterated with paraffin wax or
i

hydrocarbon. *
(Hi) Detection of Argemone oil. Take about 5 mL of the oil in a test tube. Add few
drops of cone, nitric acid into it and shake carefully. Orange or red colour indicates the
presence of Argemone oil.
(iv) Detection of mineral oil. Take about 2 mL of the oil in test tube. Add into it equal
amount of N/2 nitric acid. Now heat the test-tube on water bath. Turbidity in the contents
of the test tube indicates presence of mineral oils in given sample of vegetable oils.
(v) Detection of castor oil. Take about 2 mL. of the given sample of vegetable oil in a test
tube. Add to it about 4 mL of light petroleum. Shake the tube to get a clear solution. Now
cool the tube in a ice and salt bath. If the mixture become turbid then castor oil must be
present in the given sample of vegetable oil.
]
Note : (i) Oils catch fire easily so take care while heating them. Better hold the test
tube with a test tube holder while heating.
(ii) Petroleum is inflammable. So extinguish all flame while working with it.
Objective 4. To test the presence of adulterant in given sample of sugar.
 Theory. Common adulterants of sugar are washing soda, chalk powder and
semolina. Sugar is soluble in water. So if any undissolved substance is left on
dissolving sugar in water, then it is indication of adulteration in it. Washing soda and
chalk powder, both gives effervescence with dil. HC1. Hence their presence in the
suear samnle ran v>p rW^t^H u*, *~ot.^„ „~.„iiApparatus. Test tubes and test-tube
stand.
Chemicals, Dilute hydrochloric acid and distilled water.
Procedure, (i) Take about one gram of the sugar sample in a test-tube and add about
5 mL of water into it. Shake the contents of the tube for about 4-5 minutes. Presence of
undissolved substance indicates adulteration in the sugar.
(ii) Take about one gram of the sugar sample in a clean and dry test-tube. Add to it
about 2 mL of dilute hydrochloric acid. Effervescence on addition of acid indicates the
presence of chalk or washing powder in the sugar.
Note : Powder the sugar before testing its solubility in water.
Objective 5, To find out the possibility of adulteration in given sample of chilli
powder.
Theory. Red chilli powder is adulterated with either colours or brick powder. Brick
powder being heavy than chilli powder, therefore, settles at bottom on dissolving it in a
glass of water. If colour being added to the chilli powder, then water becomes coloured.
Apparatus. One glass or beaker and a glass rod.
Chemicals. Water.
Procedure. Add small amount of the given chilli powder in a glass full of water. Stir
the contents with a glass rod for a minute and wait for 2-3 minutes. Settling of brick
powder at bottom and appearance of red colour indicates adulteration in the sample.
Objective 6. To find out whether the given sample of turmeric powder is pure or not.
Theory. Yellow chalk powder, a common adulterant, of the turmeric powder gives
effervescence with dil. hydrochloric acid.
Apparatus. Test tubes and test-tube stand.
Chemicals. Dilute hydrochloric acid and water.
Procedure. (i) Take about 0.5 g of the powdered sample in a test tube. Add to it
about one mL of dil. hydrochloric acid. Effervescence indicates the presence of chalk
powder in the sample.
(ii Dilute the contents of the tube with 25-30 mL of water. Disappearance of the
violet colour formed previously indicates the purity of turmeric powder. But if violet
colour first formed with dil. HC1 persist, then it is contaminated with yellow dye.

Methods of Detection of adulterants in common foods

Type of food Common Adulterant How to detect

1. Desi Ghee & Butter
Vanaspati, powdered sweet
potato, starchy matter.
Add a little sugar and HC1 to small amount of
melted ghee or butter and shake it for five
minutes. Presence of pink colour in the
aqueous layer is indication of vanaspati in the
sample.

2. Add about 2 mL, of water in ghee or butter

and boil. Add a drop of iodine or tincture of
iodine after cooling. Appearance of blue
colour indicates presence of starch matter in the
sample.

2. Mustard oil Argemone oil To about 5 mL of the oil, add few drops of
cone. HN03 and shake carefully Orange of
.red colour indicates the presence of Argemone
oil.
3. Sugar Washing soda or chalk Add about 2 mL of dil. HC1 to small
powder amount of the sample. Effervescence on
addition of acid shows the presence of chalk or
washing soda in the sugar
 * sample.
4. Salt Chalk powder Add a little salt to water. Chalk powder will
settle down.
5. Red chillies powder Brick powder oi colours Add small amount of the sample in a glass full
of water. Stir the contents and wait for 2
minutes. Brick powder settles at bottom.
Appearance of red colour in water indicates
colour presence in the sample.

6. Pepper Dried papaya seeds Add small amount of the sample in a

glass full of water. Dried 'Papaya' seeds floats
over water while the pure pepper settles down.

7. Turmeric powder Yellow chalk powder
8. Tea Used tea leaves or wooden
chips after colouring.
9. Rice Stone Chips resembling
rice
10. Arhar & Gram dal Khesari Dal
Add ~ one mL, dil. HC1 to small amount
of the sample. Effervescence indicates the
presence of chalk powder in the sample.
Rub small amount of the sample between
folds of a moistened cloth. If cloth
becomes coloured, then some due is present in
the sample.
Add rice to a glass full of water. Stone
chips will settle done at the bottom first.
Add a little hydrochloric acid in the sample and
heat. Pink colour indicates the Presence of
Khesari Dal.