13/10/2016
The problem of food adulteration is so acute that Adulteration can be intentional, where substandard substances are added to the food or valuable substances are removed for economic gains. It can also be unintentional, due to carelessness or negligence. In either case, it can cause serious health hazards to the consumers.
Even home-made food must be made from raw materials purchased from reliable retailers, in order to avoid adulteration. Ready-made food items should ideally be branded, which will guarantee the best quality and standards of the food items being bought. We should also check for the best before/expiry date, the batch/lot number, as well as the FSSAI logo and license number on the packs.
Food items and raw materials can be adulterated by various substances that are cheaper, have a lower nutrient content and can even be toxic. There are many examples, some of which have been briefly discussed below.
Silver Coating on Sweets: Silver coating (vark) used to decorate sweets is made from silver. According to Indian regulations, silver must be 99.9 per cent pure if it is used as a food ingredient. However, with silver becoming expensive many sweet shop owners use silver vark that could contain aluminium. Silver vark is very fine and so it will disintegrate when rubbed between the fingers. Alloy of aluminium is not that fine and if you rub that between the fingers it will roll up into a ball. Also, the adulterated silver foil will not spread out so smoothly but tends to break.
Ghee / Vanaspati: Vanaspati is any refined edible vegetable oil that has undergone the process of hydrogenation. It can be laced with extracts from animal fat or cotton seed and palm oil. Since oil is used to make almost every sweet and savoury product it could lead to intestine related problems. Using adulterated oil regularly can also lead to high cholesterol levels. Ghee can be adulterated if it contains animal fat which increases the risk serum cholesterol and triglycerides levels. A simple home test can tell you if ghee or vanaspati is adulterated. Add a little sugar and some hydrochloric acid to ghee and vanaspati. If it turns crimson it means it is adulterated.
Artificial colours: Metanil Yellow and Tartrazine are colours that are not permitted for use in foods. However, besan is often coloured with metanil yellow to give it an appealing look. Tartrazine is used in ghee to make it look like a pure cow's ghee. Non-permitted colours are harmful for the central nervous system when consumed regularly.
Sugar: Powdered sugar can be mixed with powdered chalk, washing soda or white sand. Cane sugar might be substituted with saccharin or semolina. Since sugar dissolves in water, testing it is easy. Pure sugar will dissolve in water and the adulterants will settle at the bottom. You could also add a few drops of hydrochloric acid to sugar. If it contains washing soda it will bubble or cause a fizz.
Chilli Powder: It might be surprising, but chilli powder can be mixed with powdered brick! You can test for this type of adulteration by taking a teaspoon of chilli powder and mixing in a glass of water. If it leaches color into the water, it is adulterated with powdered brick.
Coriander Powder: This is sometimes mixed with powdered bran and sawdust. This can be tested by just sprinkling some of it on water; the adulterants will float on the water.
Cumin Seeds: Grass seeds coloured with charcoal dust are made to pass as cumin seeds. Simply rub them in your palm. If it turns black, it indicates adulteration.
Pepper: This spice can also be adulterated by grinding it with papaya seeds. Whole pepper is mixed with papaya seeds which are very similar in size and colour but are relatively tasteless once dried. This can be tested by taking a small sample of peppercorns and dropping them into a glass of water. The peppercorns will drop to the bottom and the papaya seeds will float. For ground pepper, the test is similar.
Observing proper food safety & hygiene is of the utmost importance. This is especially true for confectioners who prepare traditional sweets and namkeen items. These food business operators must ensure that the food being distributed from their outlets is prepared and stored in a clean and hygienic environment.
