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DON BOSCO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

KHARAGPUR

Session 2023-24
Chemistry Project
On
“STUDY OF EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AS A FOOD PRESERVATIVE
UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS”

Submitted To: Diptendu Bhandari

Made By: Subham Sahoo
Class: XII (PCM)
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CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Subham Sahoo, a
student of class 12 (science) has
successfully completed his project work
under the guidance of subject teacher Mr.
Diptendu Bhandari during the year 2023/2024
from Don Bosco School Kharagpur in
partial fulfillment of Chemistry project
examination conducted by CBSE.

Teacher In-charge External Examiner

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to
my teacher Mr. Diptendu Bhandari well as our principal
Mr. R K Moses who gave me the golden opportunity to do
this wonderful project on study of effect of potassium
bisulphite as a food preservative under various conditions,
which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and I
came to know about so many new things I am really
thankful to them.

Secondly, I would also like to thank my parents and

friends who helped me a lot in initializing this project
within the limited time frame
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INDEX
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Experiment
4. Materials
5. Procedure
6. Observation
7. Conclusions
8. Reference
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Abstract

The objective of this project is to Study of effect of

Potassium bisulphite as a food preservative under
various conditions

Condition:-
• Concentration
• Time
• Temperature
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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 the human beings. Then
what should we add?

“PRESERVATIVES” Preservatives are natural or man-made

chemicals that are added to foods to stop them from spoiling.
Many packaged foods we buy need a preserving agent to
keep them from going 'off' and to protect us against
foodborne illnesses (food poisoning), which is why these
preservatives are used.
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CAN PRESERVATIVES BE NATURAL OR EASY?

We actually 'preserve'
fresh foods ourselves
every day, by storing
foods in the fridge or
freezer.
Smoking fish or meats over burning wood or
coal are also
methods of preservat.
Natural preservatives
that can be added to
foods include salt and
sugar.

CHEMICAL METHODS:-
Other preservatives that are commonly used in foods in small
amounts include sorbates, which can be identified by the
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additive numbers 200203, benzoates (210-218), sulphites

(220-228) and propionates (280-283). Some nitrites (249250)
are also classified as preservatives. 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.
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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 is a
bleaching powder. Potassium
bisulphite on reaction 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.

H+ + HSO3- → SO2 + H2O

The advantage of this method is that no harmful chemical is

left in the food.
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Common questions asked:-

1) How do preservatives work?

To prevent spoilage of foods by moulds, yeast and

bacteria, preservatives have an acidic nature that makes
the organisms unable to grow in the food.

2) How can I tell which foods contain preservatives?

All 'additives', including preservatives, must be labelled on

food packages. You may commonly see the word
'preservative' followed by its additive number or name. For
example, preservative (220) or (sulphur dioxide). This
system makes it easy to identify preservatives in foods.

3) What foods contain preservatives?

You may be surprised at how many foods you commonly
eat contain preservatives. Items such as breads, soft
drinks, cheese, margarine, wine, dried fruit, processed
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meats, fruit juice and raw prawns may contain

preservatives.

4) Can preservatives cause reactions in sensitive people?

The body can react to all sorts of natural and artificial

chemicals found in the environment and in foods.
Particular preservatives may cause reactions in sensitive
people, with symptoms including skin rashes and itching,
breathing difficulty, sneezing or gastrointestinal upsets.

EXPERIMENT
The aim of this project is to study the effect of potassium
bisulphite as food preservative.

I. At different temperatures.

II. At different concentrations and

III. For different intervals of time.
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MATERIALS
I. Beaker, pestle and mortar, glass bottles, balance and
peeler.
II. Fresh fruits, potassium bisulphite and 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 fresh fruits, wash them thoroughly with water and
peel off their outer cover.

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

3. Mix with sugar and colouring matter.

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

study the effect of concentration of sugar and KHSO3,
temperature and time.

(A) Effect of concentration of Sugar: -

1. Take three wide mouthed reagent bottles labeled as A,B,C.

2. Put 100 gms of fruit jam in each bottle.

3. Add 5.0 gms, 10.0 gms and 15.0 gms of sugar to each
bottle respectively.
4. Add 0.5 gm of KHSO3 to each bottle.

5. Mix contents thoroughly with a stirring rod.

6. Close the bottle and allow them to stand for one week or
10 days at room temperature.

7. Observe the changes taking place in Jam everyday.

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OBSERVATION
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Result
The increase in concentration of sugar causes deterioration of
fruit jam due to growth of fungus.

Photos through the experiment.

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(B) Effect of concentration of KHSO3

1. Take bottles labeled as A,B,C.

2. Put 100 gm of Jam in each bottle.

3. Add 5.0 gm of sugar to each bottle.

4. Add 1.0 gm, 2.0 gm and 3.0 gm of KHSO3 to bottle

respectively.

5. Mix the contents thoroughly with a glass rod.

6. Keep all the bottles at room temperature for about 5 days

and observe the changes everyday.

Result
The increase in concentration of KHSO3 increase more time
of preservation.
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(C) Effect of Temperature

1. Take 100 gm of Jam in three bottles labeled as A,B,C.

2. Add 10.0 gm of sugar and 1.0 gm of KHSO3 to each

bottle.

3. Mix the contents thoroughly with a stirring rod.

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

room temperature (25C̊) and bottle No. III in a thermostat at
50C̊. Observe the changes taking place in the jam for 10 days.

Result:
The increase in Temperature causes fast fermentation of jam.
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(D) Effect of time:–

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

2. To each bottle add 25 g of Jam and 1 g of potassium

bisulphite.

3. Keep bottle A for 7 days, bottle B for 14 days and bottle C

for 21 days at room temperature.

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

the observations.

** **
**
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Result
With increase of days, the quality of the jam deteriorates.

Conclusion:
Food containing more amount of sugar is not favorable to
keep for a long time , Potassium bisulphite is a good
preservative.

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.
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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.
People must know merits and also the demerits of the
additives used in our day to day products. Anything in excess
can be fatal too. I hope this project helps people.

References:
1. https://www.healthyfood.com/advice/what-
arepreservatives/
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/foodscience/food-
preservative
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium bisulfite
4. https://www.rwjbh.org/blog/2017/may/common-food-
preservatives-and-their-purpose/
5. https://www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Foodtechnology/
What-you-need-to-know-about-Preservatives.aspx