Study of common food adulterants in fats, oils,

butter, sugar, turmeric powder, chili powder and

pepper


Adulteration is one of the most serious problems faced by consumer
today. The adulterated food produces serious effects such as cancer,
stomach ulcers, diarrhea, respiratory diseases like asthma, allergy etc.
the adulterants used by manufacturers and retailers are cheap
substituent. For example, fats, oils and butter are adulterated with
paraffin wax, vanaspati ghee, Castrol oil, powdered sweet potatoes or
some starchy material. Red chili powder is mixed with brick powder,
sugar with chalk powder and pepper is mixed with dried papaya
seeds. All these adulterants can be easily identified by simple
chemical tests.



AIM OF PROJECT:
This project deals with the study of detection of common
food adulterants present in different food-stuff.



THEORY:
Fats, oils and butter are usually adulterated with paraffin wax,
vanaspati ghee, hydrocarbons, powdered sweet potatoes, dyes and
argemone oil. These are detected as follows:
Requirements:
Test tubes, test tube stand, conc. HCl, conc. HSO, 2% alcoholic
solution of furfural, acetic acid, iodine solution, conc. HNO, sample of
fat, butter and oil.
Procedure:
(i) Detection of vanaspati ghee in desi ghee: take about 1 g of given
sample of desi ghee or butter in a test tube. Add 1 ml of dill HCl and 1-2
drops of 2% alcoholic solution of furfural. Shake the mixture thoroughly
a pink or red color in the acid layer indicates adulteration of desi ghee
by vanaspati ghee.
(ii) Detection of paraffin wax or hydrocarbon in vegetable ghee: heat
small amount of vegetable ghee with acetic anhydride. A droplet of oil
EXPERIMENT 10.1
To detect the presence of adulterants in oil, fats and butter.


floating on the surface of unused acetic anhydride indicates the
presence of wax or hydrocarbons.
(iii) Detection of dyes in fat: heat 1 ml of fat with a mixture of 1 ml of
conc. HSO and 4 ml of acetic acid, appearance of pink or red color
indicates presence of dyes in fats.
(iv) Detection of starchy material: take about 0.5 g of desi ghee or
butter in a test tube, add 2 ml of water and boil. Cool and add about 1-
2 drops of iodine solution, a blue color indicate starch in given sample
of desi ghee or butter.
(v) Detection of argemone oil in edible oil: to small amount of oil in a
test tube, add a few drops if conc. HNO and shake. Appearance of red
color in acid layer indicates presence of argemone oil.
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THEORY:
Turmeric powder is adulterated with yellow colored chalk or lead
chromate. Lead is extremely harmful for health if consumed. The
presence of chalk may be detected by brisk evolution of carbon dioxide
on treatment with dill. HCl. Presence of lead salt may be detected by
the appearance of yellow ppt. when the solution of the sample in HNO
is treated with pot. Iodine solution.
Red chili powder is usually adulterated with red colored brick
powder. On dissolving in water, brick powder settles down because it is
heavier than the chili powder.
Black pepper is usually mixed with papaya seeds because they
have the same color and size, but papaya seeds are much lighter than
pepper seeds. On adding water, papaya seeds float on the surface of
water and pepper settles down.
Requirements:
Dil. HNO, conc. HCl, KI solution, test tubes, beakers, sample of
turmeric, chili powder and pepper.

EXPERIMENT 10.2
To detect the adulteration in the given samples of turmeric or chili powder and pepper.



Procedure:
(i) Detection of yellow chalk and yellow lead salts in turmeric powder:
(a) Take about 1 g of the given sample in a test tube and add about 1
ml of dil. HCl. Evolution of CO gas with effervescence indicates
presence of yellow chalk in turmeric powder.
(b) Take about 0.5 g of the given sample in a test tube and add 2.0 ml
of dil. HNO. Shake and filter. Add a few drops of kI solution to the
filtrate a yellow ppt. of PbI indicate adulteration of lead salt in the
given sample of turmeric.
(ii) Detection of brick powder in chili powder: take about 2 g of chili
powder in a 100 ml conical flask and add about 50 ml of water. Shake
and allow standing. Setting of any heavier red colored particles at the
bottom of the flask indicates adulteration by brick powder.
(iii) Detection of dried papaya seeds in water: Take about 50 ml of
water in a beaker and add about 5 g of given sample of pepper. Stir
with a glass rod and allow standing. Any light floating on the surface
indicates he adulteration by papaya seeds in pepper.
(iv) Detection of red lead salt in chili powder: To a sample of chili
powder, add dil. HNO. Filter the solution and add 2 drops of potassium
iodide solution to the filtrate. Yellow ppt. indicates the presence of lead
salt in chili powder.
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THEORY:
Sugar is adulterated with chalk or washing soda or some water
insoluble materials. Since sugar is soluble in water, any insoluble
material can be detected by dissolving the given sample of sugar in
water. Presence of washing soda or chalk can be detected by treatment
with dil. HCl and evolution of carbon dioxide.
Requirements:
Sample of sugar, dil. HCl, beaker and test tube.
Procedure:
(i) Detection of insoluble materials in sugar: Take a small amount of
sugar in test tube and dissolve in water. Presence of any insoluble
material indicates adulteration.
(i) Detection of chalk powder and washing soda: Take a pinch of sugar
and add 2-3 drops of HCl. Brisk effervescence of CO gas shows
presence of chalk powder of washing soda in given sample of sugar.
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EXPERIMENT 10.2
To detect the adulterants of sugar.