MAYOOR PRIVATE SCHOOL, ABU DHABI, U.A.

A Project Report
On
STUDY OF EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE
AS A FOOD PRESERVATIVE UNDER VARIOUS
CONDITIONS

For
Grade XII AISSCE 2020-21 Examination
CHEMISTRY
SUBMITTED BY

NAME : _______________________

CBSE ROLL NO : _______________________

Under the Guidance of

Mr.RAMBABU MANDALA
MR.JAYACHANDRAN PILLAI
 Mayoor Private School ‫مدرسة مايو الخاصة‬
Discover The Difference...
AISSCE (Class XII) Practical Examination

CHEMISTRY PROJECT

CERTIFICATE
Certified that the entries in the project file is the bona fide work of

Master/ Miss : ………………………………………………………………...

Grade : …………………………….Div: ……………………………………..

CBSE Roll No : ……………………………………………………………….

Completed during the Academic Year 2020-2021

Teacher in charge: ………………...

Internal Examiner: _____________ External Examiner: ________________

Principal:__________________________
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the help and
support of my school, Principal Ms. Anna and my peers. I would like
to thank CBSE for providing me with a golden opportunity to
research and present my ideas on the topic. I am especially thankful
to my Chemistry teacher, Mr.Rambabu Mandala and Lab
coordinator Mr.Jayachandran Pillai, who has been supportive of
my goals and who worked actively to provide me with the protected
academic time to pursue these goals.

I am grateful to all those with whom I have had the pleasure to work
during this and other related projects. Each of my peers has
provided me with extensive personal and professional guidance. I
would like to thank my parents whose love and guidance are with
me in whatever I want to pursue.
 INDEX

S.No Particulars
1. Introduction
2. Aim
3. Apparatus
4. Chemicals Used
5. Theory
6. Procedure
7. A.Effect of concentration of KHSO3
● Observation Table
● Result
8. B.Effect of temperature
● Observation Table
● Result
9. C.Effect of time
● Observation Table
● Result
10. Inference
11. Bibliography
 INTRODUCTION

Growth of microorganisms in a food material can be inhibited by

adding certain chemical substances. However the chemical
substances should not be harmful to human beings. Such chemical
substances which are added to food materials to prevent their
spoilage are known as chemical preservatives. In our country, two
chemical preservatives which are permitted for use are:

1. Benzoic acid(or sodium benzoate)

2. Sulphur dioxide(or potassium bisulphite)

Benzoic acid or its sodium salt, sodium benzoate is commonly used

for the preservation of food materials. For the preservation of
fruits, fruit juices, squashes and jams sodium benzoate is used as
preservative because it is soluble in water and hence easily mixes
with the food product.

Potassium bisulphite is used for the preservation of colourless food

materials such as fruit juices, squashes, apples and raw mango
chutney. This is not used for preserving coloured food materials
because Sulphur dioxide produced from this chemical has bleaching
property. Potassium bisulphite on reacting with acid of the juice
liberates Sulphur dioxide which is very effective in killing the
harmful microorganisms present in food and thus prevents it from
getting spoiled.
HSO3–(aq) + H+(aq)→ H2O(l) + SO2(g)
The advantage of this method is that no harmful chemical is left in
the food.
 AIM

To study the effect of potassium bisulphite as food preservative

under different conditions mentioned below:

i. At different temperatures.

ii. At different concentrations and

iii. For effect of time on preserving capacity.

 APPARATUS

● Beaker

● Pestle and Mortar

● Glass bottles

● Balance

● Peeler

● Fresh fruits

CHEMICALS USED

● Potassium bisulphate
● Sugar
 THEORY

Food materials undergo natural changes due to temperature, time

and enzymatic action and become unfit for consumption. These
changes may be checked by adding small amounts of potassium
bisulphite. The effectiveness of KHSO3 as preservative depends
upon its concentration under different conditions which may be
determined experimentally.
 PROCEDURE

1. Take 500g of fresh fruits, wash them thoroughly with water

and peel off their outer cover.

2. Grind it to a paste in a mortar with a pestle.

3. Transfer 100g each of the prepared pulp into 3 clean bottles,

numbered 1, 2 and 3.

4. Weigh 5.0g, of sugar and transfer into the bottles along with
colouring matter. Mix thoroughly.

5. The material so obtained is fruit jam. It may be used to study

the effect of concentration of KHSO3, temperature and time on
preservation property.
 (A)
EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION OF
KHSO3

1. Take 3 bottles and label as I, II and III.

2. Put 100 gm of Jam in each bottle.

3. Add 1.0 gm, 2.0 gm and 3.0 gm of KHSO3 to bottle No. I, II and III
respectively.

4. Mix the contents thoroughly with a glass rod.

5. Keep all the stoppered bottles at room temperature for about 5

days and observe the changes everyday
 OBSERVATION TABLE

Bottle Wt. of Wt. of Wt. of Observations( on growth of fungus,

No. jam sugar KHSO3 changes in the consistency etc) (Days)
taken
1 2 3 4 5

I 100g 5.00g 1.0g no no no A few More

growth growth

II 100g 5.00g 2.0g no no no no A few

growth

III 100g 5.00g 3.0g no no no no no

RESULT

The increase in concentration of KHSO3 preserved the jam better.

Even after ten days, no fungal growth is observed in bottle No. 3
where 3.0g of KHSO3 is used. In bottle No. 1 and 2 the fungal growth
observed on 4th and 5th day respectively, indicating that 1.0g and
2.0g of KHSO3 is inadequate to preserve the fruit jam.
 (B)
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE

1. Take 100 gm of Jam in three bottles labeled as I, II and III.

2. Add 1.0 g of KHSO3 each into the three bottles and mix well and
stopper them.

3. Keep bottle No. I in the refrigerator at 0˚C, bottle No. II at room

temperature (25˚C) and bottle No. III in an oven set at 50˚C.
Observe the changes taking place in the jam for 5 days.
 OBSERVATION TABLE

Bottle Wt. of Wt. of Wt. of Observations (Days)(Fungal growth and

No. jam sugar KHSO3 change in consistency etc)
taken
1 2 3 4 5

I 100g 5.00g 1.0g no no no no no

II 100g 5.00g 1.0g no no no no A few

growth

III 100g 5.00g 1.0g no no A Few More More

growth growth growth

RESULT

The increase in Temperature caused growth of fungus faster in the

jam
 (C)
EFFECT OF TIME

1. Take three bottles and label them as I, II and III.

2. To each bottle add 100 g of Jam and 1 g of potassium bisulphite.

3. Keep bottle I for 7 days, bottle II for 14 days and bottle III for 21
days at room temperature.

4. Note the changes taking place in each bottle and record the
observations.
 OBSERVATION TABLE

Bottle No. Observation (Days)

7 14 21

I No changes *** ***

II *** Unpleasant ****
odour
III *** *** Unpleasant
odour &
fungal
growth

RESULT

With the increase of days, the quality of the jam deteriorates and
gets spoiled.
 INFERENCE

Food containing more sugar is not favorable to keep for a long time
Potassium bisulphite is a good preservative in ideal concentrations.

There are a number of uses for potassium bisulfite as a food

preservative. The Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives
reports this product works to prevent the growth of mold, yeast and
bacteria in foods. It is also an additive for homemade wine.
Potassium bisulfate is found in some cold drinks and fruit juice
concentrates. Sulfites are common preservatives in smoked or
processed meats and dried fruits. In spray form, it may help prevent
foods from discoloring or browning.

Potassium bisulfite is primarily a commercial product. You might

find this chemical compound at meat processing plants.
Manufacturers of juice drinks and concentrate will use potassium
bisulfite to increase the shelf life of their products. The preservative
is also available for home use. Sulphites such as potassium bisulfite
can trigger an attack for those with asthma. potassium bisulfite
may cause lung irritation.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following books were used in the completion of this project:

● Chemistry Laboratory Manual

● Simplified ICSE Chemistry

Also the following websites were consulted for relevant materials:

● Potassium bisulphite-Wikipedia
● Seminars Only
● The Trusted Trolley-Potassium bisulphate
● Icbse