“FOOD ADULTERANTS PRESENT IN DIFFERENT

FOOD STUFFS”
PROJECT REPORT
IN
CHEMISTRY FOR CLASS XII
(2023-24)

Submitted in partialfulfillment of the requirement of CBSE,Delhi

ANTONY JAMES RAJ.J

Under the guidance of

Mrs.R.MAHALAKSHMI .M.Sc, B.Ed.
PGT CHEMISTRY

Mahatma Global Gateway (CBSE)

Gopalakrishnan Guruvasal,
Veerapanchan, Madurai-625020.

[i]
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At the outset, I would like to take the opportunity of expressing
my sincere thanks to the Almighty for keeping me in good health all
through this grueling project work.

I would like to express my special thanks to my worthy

Academic Director Mrs.P.Hamsa Priya, Principal Mrs. Meena
Karuppiah and to my teacher guide Mrs.R.Mahalakshmi who
provided motivation and valuable guidance to complete thisproject.

I got ample opportunity to do research which enriched my

knowledge and widen my thoughts in this arena. I am indebted to
them.

I would also like to thank my parents and friends who always

inspired and helped me to complete this project.

Signature of the student

[ii]
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Antony James Raj.J of class XII of Mahatma

Global Gateway(CBSE),Madurai, has submitted this project work
entitled as “FOOD ADULTERANTS PRESENT IN DIFFERENT
FOOD STUFFS ” in the partial fulfillment of the award of All India
Senior Secondary Certificate of Examinations.

I certify that this project is up to my expectation and

as per the guidelines issued by CBSE.

Signature of the Principal Signature of the Teacher In-charge

(Mrs.Meena Karuppiah) (Mrs. R.Mahalakshmi)

Submitted for the viva-voce examination held on ,

at Mahatma Global Gateway(CBSE),Madurai.

Signature of the Examiner

[iii]
ANTONY JAMES RAJ.J ,
XII – B,
Mahatma Global Gateway (CBSE),
Gopalakrishnan Guruvasal,
Veerapanchan,
Madurai – 625020.

DECLARATION

I, hereby declare that the project work entitled “FOOD

ADULTERANTS PRESENT IN DIFFERENT FOOD STUFFS”
submitted by me in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of All India Senior Secondary Certificate of Examinations is a
record of main project work done by me in Mahatma Global
Gateway(CBSE), Gopalakrishnan Guruvasal, Veerapanchan,
Madurai. It is an original work and it has not been copied from any
other resources.

Place: Madurai ANTONY JAMES RAJ

Date:

[iv]
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
SI NO. CHAPTERS PAGE NO.
OBJECTIVE 1
1
INTRODUCTION 2
2
THEORY 5
3
EXPERIMENTS 6
4
OBSERVATION 9
5
6 RESULT 11

7 ADULTERANT AND DISEASE 11

SOME COMMON WAYS OF DETECTING 14
8
ADULTERANTS
PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FOOD ADULTERATION 16
9
CONCLUSION 17
10
BIBLIOGRAPHY 18
11

[v]
 OBJECTIVE

The Objective of this project is to study some of the common

food adulterants present in different food stuffs.

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 INTRODUCTION

Food is one of the basic necessities for sustenance of life. Pure, fresh
and healthy diet is most essential for the health of the people. It is no
wonder to say that community health is national wealth. Food
adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food
offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior
substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient
Adulteration in food is normally present in its most crude form;
prohibited substances are either added or partly or wholly
substituted. Normally the contamination/adulteration in food is done
either for financial gain or due to carelessness and lack in proper
hygienic condition of processing, storing, transportation and
marketing. This ultimately results that the consumer is either cheated
or often become victim of diseases. Such types of adulteration are
quite common in developing countries or backward countries. It is
equally important for the consumer to know the common adulterants
and their effect on health.
Adulteration of food-stuffs was so rampant, widespread and
persistent that nothing short of a somewhat drastic remedy in the
form of a comprehensive legislation became the need of the hour. To
check this kind of antisocial evil a concerted and determined
onslaught was launched by the Government by introduction of the
Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill in the Parliament to herald an
era of much needed hope and relief for the consumers at large.

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STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS:
Laws existed in a number of States in India for the prevention
of adulteration of food- stuffs, but they lacked uniformity having
been passed at different times without mutual consultation between
States. The need for Central legislation for the whole country in this
matter has been felt since 1937 when a Committee appointed by the
Central Advisory Board of Health recommended this step.
‘Adulteration of food-stuffs and other goods’ is now included in
the Concurrent List (III) in the Constitution of India. It has, therefore,
become possible for the Central Government to enact all India
legislation on this subject. The Bill replaces all local food
adulteration laws where they exist and also applies to those States
where there are no local laws on the subject. Among others, it
provides for —
i. A Central Food Laboratory to which food samples can
be referred to for final opinion in disputed cases (clause
4),
ii. A Central Committee for Food Standards consisting of
representatives of Central and State Governments to advise
on matters arising from the administration of the Act
(clause 3)
iii. The vesting in the Central Government of the rule-making
power regarding standards of quality for the articles of
food and certain other matters (clause 22).

ACT 37 OF 1954: The Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill was

passed by both the house of Parliament and received the assent of
the President on 29th September, 1954. It came into force on Ist
June, 1955 as THE PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTERATION
ACT, 1954 (37 of 1954).

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4|Page
LIST OF ADAPTATION ORDER AND AMENDING ACTs:

1. The Adaptation of Laws (No.3) Order, 1956.

2. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1964 (49 of 1964).
3. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1971 (41 of 1971).
4. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1976 (34 of 1976).
5. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1986 (70 of 1986).

GOVERNMENT MEASURES:
To check the suppliers of food from doing so, the government has
passed a stringent act which is known as preservation of food
Adulteration Act. They have been implemented with the objective
of providing safety to human beings in the supply of food. It
covers safety from risks involved due to contamination of
poisonous elements. The specification laid down of various foods
under the provisions of PFA Act covers minimum basic
characteristics Of the Products Below which it is deemed to be
adulterated and also covers the maximum limit of contaminant not
considered being safe for human beings beyond a certain level.

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 THEORY
The increasing number of food producers and the outstanding
amount of import foodstuffs enables the producers to mislead and
cheat consumers. To differentiate those who take advantage of
legal rules from the ones who commit food adulteration is very
difficult. The consciousness of consumers would be crucial.
Ignorance and unfair market behaviour may endanger consumer
health and misleading can lead to poisoning. So we need simple
screening tests for their detection. In the past few decades,
adulteration of food has become one of the serious problems.
Consumption of adulterated food causes serious diseases like
cancer, diarrhoea, asthma, ulcers, etc. Majority of fats, oils and
butter are paraffin wax, castor oil and hydrocarbons. Red chilli
powder is mixed with brick powder and pepper is mixed with
dried papaya seeds. These adulterants can be easily identified by
simple chemical tests. Several agencies have been set up by the
Government of India to remove adulterants from food stuffs.

AGMARK: Acronym for agricultural marketing this

organization certifies food products for their quality. Its
objective is to promote the Grading and Standardization
of agricultural and allied commode

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 EXPERIMENT I
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in fat, oil and butter.
Apparatus Required:
 Test-tube
 Concentrated Sulphuric acid
 Acetic acid
 Concentrated Nitric acid
Procedure:
Common adulterants present in ghee and oil are paraffin wax,
hydrocarbons, dyes and argemone oil. These are detected as
follows:
(i) 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 of unused acetic anhydride indicate the presence
of wax or hydrocarbons.

(ii) Adulteration of dyes in fat: Heat 1mL of fat with a

mixture of 1mL of conc. Sulphuric Acid and 4mL of
Acetic Acid. Appearance of pink or red colour
indicates presence of dye in fat.

(iii) Adulteration of argemone oil in edible oils: To small

amount of oil in a test-tube, add few drops of conc.
HNO3 and shake it well. Appearance of red colour in the
acid layer indicates presence of argemone oil.

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 EXPERIMENT II

Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in sugar.

Apparatus Required:
 Test-tubes
 Dilute hydrochloric acid.

Procedure:
Sugar is usually contaminated with washing soda and other insoluble
substances which are detected as follows:
(i) Adulteration of various insoluble substances in sugar:
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.

(ii) Adulteration of chalk powder, washing soda in sugar:

To small amount of sugar in a test-tube, add few drops of
HCl. Brisk effervescence of CO2 shows the presence of
chalk powder or washing soda in the given sample of sugar.

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 EXPERIMENT III
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in samples of chili
powder, turmeric powder and pepper.
Apparatus Required:
 Test-tubes
 conc. HCl
 dil. HNO3
 KI solution.
Procedure:
Common adulterants present in chilli powder, turmeric powder and
pepper are red colored lead salts, yellow lead salts and dried papaya
seeds respectively. They are detected as follows:
(i) Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli powder: To a
sample of chilli powder, add dil. HNO3. Filter the dil.
solution and add 2 drops of Potassium Iodide solution to
the filtrate. Yellow ppt. indicates the presence of lead
salts in chilli powder.
(ii) Adulteration of yellow lead salts to turmeric
powder: To a sample of turmeric powder add conc.
HCl. Appearance of magenta colour shows the
presence of yellow oxides of lead in turmeric powder.
(iii) Adulteration of brick powder in red chilli powder:
Add small amount of given red chilli powder in beaker
containing water. Brick powder settles at the bottom
while pure chilli powder floats over water.
(iv) Adulteration of dried papaya seeds in pepper: Add
small amount of sample of pepper to beaker containing
water and stir with a glass rod. Dried papaya seeds
being lighter float over water while pure pepper settles
at the bottom.
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 OBSERVATION

EXPT. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION

NO.

Heat small amount

of vegetable ghee
in acetic anhydride.
Adulteration of Droplets of oil Appearance of oil
paraffin wax floating on the floating on the
1 and hydrocarbon surface of unused surface
in vegetable acetic anhydride
ghee indicate the
presence of wax
or hydrocarbon

Heat 1mL of fat

Adulteration of with a mixture Appearance of
2 dyes in fat of 1mL of conc. pink colour.
H2SO4 and 4mL
of acetic acid.

To small amount of
Adulteration of oil in a test tube, No red
3 argemone oil add few drops of colour
in edible oils conc. HNO3 & observed
shake.

Adulteration of Take a small Pure sugar

various insoluble amount of sugar dissolves in water
4 substances in in a test tube and but insoluble
sugar shake it well with impurities do not
Water dissolve.

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 Adulteration of To small amount of No brisk
5 chalk powder, sugar in a test tube, effervescence
washing soda add a few drops of observed.
in sugar dil. HC

Adulteration of To sample of
6 yellow lead turmeric powder, Appearance of
salts to turmeric add conc. HCl. magenta colour
powder

To a sample of
chilli powder, add
Adulteration of dil. HNO3. Filter No yellow
7 red lead salts the solution and precipitate.
in chilli add 2 drops of KI
powder. solution to the
filtrate

Adulteration of Add small amount Brick powder

8 brick powder of given red chilli settles at the
in chilli powder powder in a bottom while pure
beaker containing chilli powder floats
water over water.

Add small amount Dried papaya

Adulteration of of sample of pepper seeds being lighter
9 dried papaya to beaker float over water
seeds in containing water while pure pepper
pepper and stir with a glass settles at the
rod. bottom.

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 RESULT:

The required analysis for adulterants in food stuffs

has been made.

ADULTERANTS AND DISEASE

Food
Adulterant Harmful Effects
Products
Milk and
Water and starch powder. Stomach disorders.
Curd
Ghee, Gastro-intestinal
Mashed potatoes,
Cheese and disturbances and
Vanaspati and starch
Butter other stomach
powder.
disorders.
Dust, Pebbles, Stones, Liver disorders,
Grains Straw, weed seeds, damaged Toxicity in the
grain, etc. body, etc.
Dyes, chemical and
Pulses Stomach disorders.
Lead Chromate.
Coffee Chicory, tamarind
Diarrhoea.
powder seeds powder.
Tea Artificial colouring agents. Liver disorders.
Chalk powder, Washing Stomach disorders
Sugar
soda, Urea, etc. and kidney
failure.
Pepper Dried papaya seeds and Severe allergic

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12 | P a g e
 blackberries. reactions including
stomach and skin
irritations.
Abdominal
Mustard contractions,
Argemone seeds.
seeds sluggishness and
increased
excretion.
Gallbladder cancer,
Mineral oil, Karanja oil, allergies, paralysis,
Edible Oils castor oil and artificial cardiac arrest, and
colours. increased LDL
cholesterol.
Pesticide residues, sawdust,
Turmeric chalk dust, industrial dyes, Cancer and
Powder metanil yellow dye arsenic, Stomach
lead metal etc. disorders.
Metal toxicity,
Redbrick powder, Rhodamine Cancer, lead
Chilli and B dye, Red lead, dung poisoning,
Coriander powder, soluble salts, water- tumour, variations
powder soluble synthetic colours and in blood pressure
other common salts. and other stomach
related disorders.
Liver Damage, Low
Cinnamon Blood Sugar,
Cassia bark.
sticks Mouth Sores and
increased risk of
cancer.
Cumin Coloured grass seeds,
Stomach disorders.
seeds sawdust and charcoal
dust

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 These dyes are highly
Non-permitted dyes including carcinogenic that
Jam, Juice
metanil yellow and other have the potential to
and
artificial food dyes. cause different types
Candies
of cancer.

Vomiting and
Jaggery Washing soda, chalk powder
other Stomach
disorders
Molasses, dextrose, sugar
Honey Stomach disorders
and corn syrups
Chemical dyes, Malachite Stomach disorders,
Fruits and green, calcium carbide, vomiting, and dyes
Vegetables copper sulphate and used are highly
oxytocin saccharin wax. carcinogenic.
Pumpkin pulp, non-edible Gastritis and
Tomato
artificial colours and inflammation of
sauces
flavours. vital organs.
Pepper oil, ethyl acetate,
butyraldehyde, nitrate,
Dreadful diseases
washing powder. The kind
that affect organs
Ice Cream of gum is added which is
including lungs,
prepared by boiling different
kidneys, and heart.
animal parts including the
tail, udder, nose, etc.

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 SOME COMMON WAYS OF
DETCTING
ADULTERATION
1. Milk

Test for your safety

Put a drop of milk on a slanted surface. If the drop leaves a
white trail, it’s a sign of pure milk. But, if it fails to leave the
trail, it is adulterated.
If the milk turns yellow when heated, and leaves a bitter and
soapy kind of after taste, take it as a sure shot sign that it has
synthetic substances added to it.

2. Coffee powder

Test for your

safety
Sprinkle a small amount of coffee powder on the surface of
water contained in a glass. The coffee will remain afloat
whereas the chicory in it will sink to the bottom leaving
behind a coloured trail.

3. Chilli powder
Test for your safety
Mix a spoonful of chilli powder in a glass full of water. If you
spot a formation of coloured water extract, it is because the
chilli powder is adulterated.

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4. Turmeric powder

Test for your safety

Add a few drops of concentrated HCL in a test tube containing
turmeric powder. Appearance of pink, purple, or violet hues in
the mixture confirms adulteration.

5. Mustard seeds and

oil Test for your
safety
Take a few seeds and crush them. The argemone seeds on
being crushed will reveal a whitish structure on the inside.
Mustard seeds, on the other hand, have a yellow inner surface.

6. Ghee

Test for your safety

Add 1 ml of water to a test tube containing about 0.5 g of
ghee and bring the mixture to boil. Once it cools, add a drop of
iodine (or iodine tincture solution) to it. If the final output is
blue in colour, then it is adulterated with starchy substances.

7. Sugar

Test for your safety

Unadulterated sugar, when added to a glass of water, will
sink directly to the bottom. But if it has chalk powder in it, the
adulterants will remain at the surface of the water.

8. Black pepper

Test for your safety

Add a few corns of pepper to alcohol. The pure corns
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will stay afloat whereas the pappaya seeds will sink

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 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST
FOOD ADULTERATIONS.
According to the National Health Service and Food Research
Institute, several food products have been adulterated to increase the
quantity and make more profit. This practice of adding adulterants to
food products are quite common in all in developing countries and
other backward countries.
Every year, the 7th of April is celebrated as the World Health Day
globally and as per the reports, WHO aims to bring a general
awareness about the adulterations of food products, motivate and
inspire everybody to have a healthy, balanced diet.
By taking few precautions we can escape from consuming
adulterated products.

 Avoid dark coloured, junk and other processed foods.

 Make sure to clean and store all the grains, pulses and
other food products.

 Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly in running

water before they are used.

 Check if the seal is valid or not, before buying food

products like milk, oil and other pouches.

 Always make sure to check and buy products having

an FSSAI-validated label, along with the license number, list
of ingredients, manufactured date, and its expiration.

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 CONCLUSION

Selection of wholesome and non-adulterated food is essential for

daily life to make sure that such foods do not cause any health
hazard. It is not possible to ensure wholesome food only on visual
examination when the toxic contaminants are present in ppm
level. However, visual examination of the food before purchase
makes sure to ensure absence of insects, visual fungus, foreign
matters, etc. Therefore, due care taken by the consumer at the
time of purchase of food after thoroughly examining can be of
great help. Secondly, label declaration on packed food is very
important for knowing the ingredients and nutritional value. It
also helps in checking the freshness of the food and the period of
best before use. The consumer should avoid taking food from an
unhygienic place and food being prepared under unhygienic
conditions. Such types of food may cause various diseases.
Consumption of cut fruits being sold in unhygienic conditions
should be avoided. It is always better to buy certified food from
reputed shops.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. WEBSITES

 www.google.com

 www.wikipedia.com

 www.quora.com
 byjus.com

2. BOOKS:

 Comprehensive Practical Manual for Chemistry

 Pradeep’s New Course Chemistry

 NCERT class XII Chemistry Text book Part II

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