Rajeev Gandhi Higher Secondary

School, Bhopal

Session 2018-19

CHEMISTRY PROJECT
ON
“STUDY OF EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AS FOOD PRE-
SERVATIVE UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS “

Submitted To : MR. Ashutosh Sir

Made By : Anvi Shukla
Class : XII (PCB)
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“Work hard not only to achieve success but
to accomplish your goal”

Authenticity of Certificate

S E S S I O N : 2018 – 19

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT Anvi Shukla OF RAJEEV GANDHI HIGH-

ER SECONDARY SCHOOL, BHOPAL OF CLASS XII HAS COMPLETED
HER PROJECT ON THE TOPIC “STUDY OF EFFECT OF POTASSIUM
BISULPHITE AS FOOD PRESERVATIVE UNDER VARIOUS CONDI-
TIONS” DONE UNDER THE SUPERVISION AND GUIDANCE OF
OUR CHRMISTRY SIR MR . ASHUTOSH Sir IN SESSION 2018-
2019 AND THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN CERTIFIED TO NEXT ACA-
DEMIC SESSION SATISFACTORILY.

Signature Of Principal :
Signature Of Teacher :

Remark By Examiner :

Signature of Examiner : Date :

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I Anvi Shukla of class XII would like to
express my gratitude towards my school principal
Mrs. Shikha bhati and my chemistry teacher
Mr. Ashutosh Sir who gave me this golden
opportunity to explore my skills and imagination
towards the project entitled as “study of effect of
potassium bisulphate as food preservative under
various conditions” and my almighty of course
my parents , coworkers and friends who took this
project to next level.

A BIG THANKS TO THE TEAM WHO SUPPORTED

ME AND GAVE THEIR PRECIOUS TIME TO MAKE
THIS PROJECT MORE FACTUAL AND
INTERESTING FOR OTHER STUDENTS.

Anvi Shukla
Class XII

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 INDEX
S. CONTENTS PAGE TEACHER
NO. NO. SIGNATURE
1) Purpose of the project 01
2) Introduction 02-04
3) Description of apparatus used 05-07
in this project
4) Food preservation 08-11
5) Need for food preservation 11
6) Principles of food preserva- 12
tion
7) Role of food preservation 13
8) Procedure of food processing 14
9) Procedure 15
10) Study of effect of concentra- 15-17
tion of potassium bisuphite
and the effect of time

11) Study of effect of temperature 17-18

12) Conclusion 18
13) Safety measures while using 19
khso 3 as food preservative
14) Bibliography 20

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 PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT

The Purpose Of This Project Is To Study The

Effect Of Potassium Bisulphite As a Food Pre-
servative Under Various Conditions Such As
Given Below :

 CONCENTRATION : In chemistry, concentration

can be defined as the measure of the relative proportions

of two or more quantities in a mixture.

 TIME : Time is nothing but the measure of amount of

concentration during any process or activity taking place

on that particular level within the completion of the ac-
tion took place during that process.

 TEMPERATURE : Temperature is the degree or

intensity of heat of that substance which is ex-
pressed according to a comparative scale in graph
and shown by a thermometer.

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 INTRODUCTION
WHAT ARE PRESERVATIVES ?

Growth of micro – organisms in a food ma-

terial can be inhibited by adding certain
chemical substance . However , the chemical
substances should not be harmful to the
human beings . Such chemical substances
which are added to food materials to pre-
vent their spoilage are known as chemical
preservatives . In our country , two chemical
preservatives which are permitted for use
are :

1. Benzoic acid ( or sodium benzo-

ate i.e. C7H6O2 )
2. Potassium hydrogen sulphite
(or potassium bisulphite i.e.
KHSO3) .

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 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 it is used as preserva-
tive because it is soluble in water and
hence easily mixes with the food prod-
uct. The efficacy of benzoic acid and
benzoate is thus dependent on the PH of
the food .

 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 pro-
duced from this chemical is a bleaching
agent .
Potassium bisulphite on reaction with
acid of the juice liberates sulphur diox-
ide which is very effective in killing the
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 harmful micro – organisms 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 . The
aim of the project is to study the effect of
potassium bisulphite as food preservative :

1. At different temperatures ,

2. At different concentrations and

3. For different intervals of time .

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DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS
WE ARE GOING TO USE IN THIS
PROJECT ARE AS FOLLOWS :

1) CONICAL FLASKS – It is a glass labora-

tory flask of a conical profile with a narrow tub-
ular neck and a flat bottom , used to manipulate
solutions or to carry out titrations .

2) GLASS ROD – a glass rod is a piece of

equipment used to mix chemical and liquids for

laboratory purposes . After every use of glass rod it
is recommended that it should be cleaned to
avoid contamination . It is also used as an aid for
transferring the liquid into the funnel .

3) KNIFE – A knife is a tool with cutting edge

or blade attached to a handle .

4) APPLE – Apple is a kind of fruit which

will help us in making jam in this experiment.

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5) SUGAR – Sugar is nothing but the sweet –

tasting, soluble carbohydrates , which we use in

our food sometimes . Simple sugars are called
monosaccharide and include glucose (also known
as dextrose) , fructose , galactose .

6) POTASSIUM BISULPHITE – It is a

chemical compound with the chemical formula

KHSO3 . It is used during the production of alco-
holic beverages as a sterilizing agent.

It is made by the reaction sulphur dioxide and

the reaction of potassium carbonate .

The sulfur dioxide is passed through a solution

of the potassium carbonate until no more carbon
dioxide is given off. The solution is concentrated
and then allowed to crystallize .

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 MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THIS
PROJECT
SUGAR
GLASS ROD

CONICAL
FLASKS
100 Ml APPARATUS
REQUIRED FOR
THIS PROJECT

PROJECT

APPLES
POTASSIUM
KNIFE
BISULPHITE

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FOOD PRESERVATION
How we can preserve our food ?
We can preserve our food by following methods :

TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES :

CURING :

The earliest form of curing was dehydration

or drying, . Smoking and salting techniques im-
prove on the drying process and add antimicrobi-
al agents that aid in preservation. Smoke deposits
a number of pyrolysis products onto the food, in-
cluding the phenols syringol guaiacol and ca-
thechol .Salt accelerates the drying process using
osmosis and also inhibits the growth of several
common strains of bacteria . More recently ni-
trites have been used to cure meat, contributing
a characteristic pink colour.[6]

COOLING :

Cooling preserves food by slowing down the

growth and reproduction of microorganisms and
the action of enzymes that causes the food to rot.

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Before the era of mechanical refrigeration, cool-
ing for food storage occurred in the forms of root
cellars and iceboxes. Today, root cellaring re-
mains popular among people who value various
goals, including local food, heirloom crops, tradi-
tional home cooking techniques, family farm-
ing, frugality, self-sufficiency, organic farming,
and others.

FREEZING :

Freezing is also one of the most commonly used

processes, for preserving a very wide range of
foods . For example, potato waffles are stored in
the freezer, but potatoes themselves require only a
cool dark place to ensure many months' storage.
Cold stores provide large-volume, long-term stor-
age for strategic food stocks held in case of na-
tional emergency in many countries .

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 MODERN INDUSTRIAL TECHNIQUES :

A. PASTEURIZATION:
Pasteurization is a process for preservation of liq-
uid food. In this method, milk is heated at about
70 °C (158 °F) for 15–30 seconds to kill the bac-
teria present in it and cooling it quickly to 10 °C
(50 °F) to prevent the remaining bacteria from
growing. The milk is then stored in sterilized bot-
tles or pouches in cold places. This method was
invented by Louis Pasteur, a French chemist, in
1862.

B. ARTIFICIAL FOOD ADDITIVES :

Preservative food additives can be antimicrobial
— which inhibit the growth of bacteria or fungi,
including mold - or antioxidant, such as oxygen
absorbers, which inhibit the oxidation of food
constituents. Common antimicrobial preservatives
include calcium propionate, sodium nitrate,
sodium nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium
bisulfite, potassium hydrogen sulfite, etc.),
and EDTA.

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c) BIOPRESERVATION :
Biopreservation is the use of natural or con-
trolled micro biota or antimicrobials as a way of
preserving food and extending its shelf life. Bene-
ficial bacteria or the fermentation products pro-
duced by these bacteria are used in biopreserva-
tion to control spoilage and render pathogens
inactive in food. Lactic acid bacteria have antag-
onistic properties that make them useful as bio-
preservatives.

NEED FOR FOOD PRESERVATION

Preservation of food is done during the months

when food is available at large quantity and
therefore at large cost . Reasons of food preserva-
tion are as follows :

1) One of the reason of food preservation is that

to take care of the excess produce .
2) The second reason is that they add variety in
our meals .

3) Makes transportation of food cheap and easier

for us to live and survive .

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PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION

A good method of food preservation is one that

slows down or prevents altogether the action of
the agents of spoilage . Also , during the process of
food preservation it shouldn’t be damaged . The
principles of food preservation are as follows :

a) Removal of micro – organisms

or inactivating them : This is done
by air , water (moisture) , lowering or in-
creasing temperature , increasing the con-
centration of salt or sugar or acid in foods .
F or the preservation of green leafy vegeta-
bles , the water should be removed from the
leaf so that micro organisms cannot survive
. This is done by drying the green leaves till
all the moisture evaporates .

b) Inactivating enzymes : Enzymes

found in foods can be inactivated by
changing their conditions such as tempera-
ture or moisture . One of the method for
preservation of peas is that to put them in
boiling water for few minutes . It will inac-
tivate the enzymes present in peas .

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ROLE OF FOOD PRESERVATION

1. Eliminates any potential microbiological

harm to the consumer .

2. Maintains quality of food (sensory percep-

tions)

3. Maintains nutritional value within the food

product.

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 PROCEDURE OF
FOOD PROCESSING

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 PROCEDURE
1. Take 500 g fresh apples. Wash them thor-
oughly and peel off the outer layer . Remove
the seeds and crush the apples in a mixer .

2. Add about 100 g of sugar and heat the con-

tents slowly for about 10 minutes to prepare
jam .

3. During heating keep on stirring the contents .

4. Use this jam for performing the following ex-

periments .

STUDY OF EFFECT OF CONCENTRA-

TION OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AND
THE EFFECT OF TIME

1. Add 50 g of jam in each of the four conical

flasks .
2. To flask A add 0.1 g , flask B 0.2 g , flask C
0.5 g and flask D 1.0 g of potassium bisul-
phate .
3. Mix the contents in each flask an leave
them undisturbed at room temperature .
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 4. For some days check for any growth of
micro – organisms after each day and
record the observations in a table .

OBSERVATIONS :

Sample Wt. of Wt. Wt. of Observation (Days)

No. of Jam of KHSO3
1 2 3 4 5
Bottle Added Sugar

A) 50 g 5g 0.1 g No No No Few Few

change change change change more
change

B) 50 g 10 g 0.2g No No Some Some Few

change change change change more
change

C) 50 g 15 g 0.5 g No Few Some Some More

change change change change change

RESULT : As the concentration of potassium

bisulphite is increased , the growth of micro –

organisms appears after more days .The minimum
concentration of potassium bisulphate required
for preserving jam is approximately 1 % .

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 STUDY OF EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE

1) Take three conical flasks and label them as

A, B and C . Add 50 g of jam in each of the
three flasks .
2) Add 0.5 of potassium bisulphate to each of
the three conical flasks .
3) Keep flask A in a refrigerator , flask B at
room temperature and flask C in an oven
maintained at a temperature of 60 ◦ c , leave
them undisturbed for few days .
4) Check for any growth of micro - organisms
after each day and record the observations .

OBSERVATIONS :

Sample Wt. of Wt. of Wt. of Observation (Days)

No. of Jam Sugar KHSO3
1 2 3 4 5
Bottle Added

A) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No Few Some

B) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No No Few

C) 50 g 5g 0.5 g No No No No No

RESULT : The growth of micro – organisms

occurs earliest in the flask kpt at room tempera-

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ture . The preservation of jam by potassium bisul-
phate is maximum at lower temperature (0-5◦ C).

CONCLUTIONS OF THIS PROJECT :

This experiment shows us that KHSO3

is the viable food preservative whose
increased concentration can increase
time for preservation .The fermentation
of food present is directly proportional
to temperature conditions .

SAFETY MEASURES WHILE US-

ING KHSO3 AS FOOD PRESERV-
ATIVE :

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People with sulphite sensitivity might react poor-
ly to potassium bisulphite. A sulphite sensitivity
usually causes asthma symptoms such as wheez-
ing or difficulty breathing. Some people may also
experience anaphylaxis, which is a life-
threatening allergic reaction. If you have a sensi-
tivity to sulphites, you should avoid any food
that contains potassium bisulphite .

How It Works ?
When potassium bisulphite is dissolved in water,
it forms a sulfurous acid. The acid lowers the pH
of the food, which helps inhibit the growth of
harmful organisms, including bacteria such as E.
coli, as well as yeast and mold. The bisulphite
oxidize and lose some of its antimicrobial pow-
er.also prevents browning or discoloration of food
Potassium bisulphite is more stable than potassi-
um sulfite. In humid conditions, however, the dry
salt may

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 NCERT class 12 th chemistrty

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 COMPREHENSIVE practical chemistry

class 12

 WEBSITES for reference used in this

project are given below :

GOOGLE → www.google.co.in

WIKIPEDIA→ www.livestrong.com

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