CONTENTS

SL. NO. TOPIC Page No.

01. CERTIFICATE 01

02. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 02

03. INTRODUCTION 03

04. EXPERIMENTS 1 TO 6 4-11

05. SOURCES & REMEDIES 12

06. FACTS 13-14

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project of mine could never have been

completed without the help of a few people

which I would like to mention below.

First of all I would like to thank our CHEMISTRY

TEACHER : ………………………, who gave us the

directions and gave us such interesting project.

Next are my parents who not only gave me

financial but also emotional support to complete

this project. I would like to thank my brother

who helped me a lot by critising this project so

that I would do better in next try.

INTRODUCTION
Adulteration of food means international addition of cheap
& harmful material or deliberate removal of some essential
constituents of food. It has become very common today.
Even the cheapest food article – salt, is adulterates. Some
of the common adulterates in common food stuffs are listed
below :
FOOD STUFF COMMON ADULTERATES
Milk Water, Fatless milk, starch
Desi ghee & butter Vanaspati ghee, Starchy materials
Vanaspati ghee Paraffin wax
Mustard oil Argemone oil
Sugar Chalk powder, washing soda
Salt Chalk powder
Tea Used tea leaves after colouring
Red chili powder Brick powder or injurious colour
Pepper Dried papaya powder
Rice Stone chips resembling rice
Arhar and gram dal Khesari dal

Adulterated food not only affects our budget but also may
cause serious injuries like diarrhea, ulcers, cancer etc. on
consumption. The ill effects of these common food
adulterants can be eliminated by testing the suspected
food for these before eating. These adulterants can be
readily identified chemical tests.

OBJECTIVE - 1
Aim :- To test the presence of water & starch in the
given sample of milk.
THEORY : Addition of water to dilutes its fat
contents and therefore, lowers its specific density. So
presence of water in milk may be detected by
measuring its specific density. Specific density of pure
milk is always more than 1.026.

Presence of starch material in milk can be detected by

exploiting the formation of blue colored complex with
iodine or tincture of iodine.

APPARATUS : Test tube, lactometer, measuring

cylinder.

CHEMICAL : Given sample of milk, sulphuric acid

(H2SO4), iodine or tincture of iodine.

PROCEDURE :-

1. We put few drops of the given sample of milk on a

smooth & oily surface. If the milk is pure then its
drops will be stable for sometime & leaves a white
streak.

2. We measure the specific density of milk with a

lactometer.

3. Babcock test for purity of milk : This

determines the fat content in milk. We take about
20ml of milk with the help of a pipette in a small
 narrow necked graduated flask & sulphuric acid is
mixed with it. The flask is shaken until the mixture
becomes dark colored. The acid does not affect the
fat but it dissolves other solids in milk. The flask is
then centrifuged by which the fat is forced towards
the neck, being lighter than other contents.
Sufficient warm water is added to bring the fat in
the narrow neck, where its exact percentage is
read on the graduation milk.

4. Testing the presence of starch in milk : We

take 5ml of the milk sample in a test tube & heat it
to almost boiling. Cook it and then we add few
drops of iodine solution or tincture of iodine &
shake the contents. Appearance of a blue color
indicates the presence of starch in milk. It is pure,
and then there will be a deep yellow coloration due
to casein, a protein of milk.

COMMENT : Specific density test is not much

reliable as Specific density of diluted
milk as it can be increased by
addition of some other compounds in
it.
OBJECTIVE - 2
Aim :- To test the presence of Vanaspati ghee &
starchy matter in given sample of pure ghee
or butter.

THEORY : Starchy matter can be detected with

iodine. Iodine forms a blue colored
completely soluble with starch.

Vanaspati ghee gives pink color with furfural.

APPARATUS : Test tube, test tube holder, test tube

stand.

CHEMICAL : Iodine or tincture of iodine solution, HCl,

given sample of ghee.

PROCEDURE :-

1. Detection of starchy matter : We take about

0.5g of the given or butter in a test tube. We add
1ml of water to it 7 boil. When it becomes cold we
add a drop of iodine or tincture of iodine solution.
Appearance of a blue colour indicates the presence
of starchy matter in the sample.

2. Detection of Vanaspati : We take about 0.5g of

the given or butter in a test tube. We add a little
 sugar and hydrochloric acid to it. We shake the
contents for 5 minutes. Presence of pink colour in
the aqueous layer is the indication of Vanaspati
ghee in the sample.

OBJECTIVE - 3
Aim :- To test the purity of given sample of oil or fat.
THEORY : Oil & fat are mostly adulterated with –
i. Dyes to improve the colour of the material.
ii. Paraffin wax or Hydrocarbons to increase the
weight of products thereby increasing the
profit.
iii. Cheap variant of similar material.
APPARATUS : Test tube, test tube stand.
CHEMICAL : HCl, nitric acid, light petroleum, sulphuric
acid, glacial acetic acid & acetic
anhydride.

PROCEDURE :-

1. Detection of dyes in oil & fat :

a. We take 2g of the melted & filtered fat in

attest tube. We add 5ml light petroleum. We
shake the tube and allow it to stand for some
 time. Apperance of pink colour in the lower
level indicates the presence of dyes.

b. We mix 1ml of the fat with 1ml mixture of

concentrated sulphuric acid & glacial acetic
acid and heat the mixture. Pink or reddish
colour of the solution indicates the presence of
dyes.

2. Detection of Paraffin wax or Hydrocarbons :

We heat small amount of unsaponifiated matter of
oil with acetic anhydride carefully. If small droplets
of water would be found floating on the surface of
unused acetic anhydride, then the oil is surely
adulterated with paraffin wax hydrocarbon.

3. Detection of Argemone oil : We take 5ml of the

oil in a test tube. We add few drops of conc. Nitric
acid to it & shake it carefully. Orange or red color
indicates the presence of Argemone oil.

4. Detection of mineral oil : We take about 2ml of

the oil in a test tube. We add to it equal amount of
N/2 nitric acid. Now we heat the test tube on water
bath. Turbidity in the content of the test tube
indicates the presence of mineral oil in a given
sample of vegetable oils.
5. Detection of castor oil : We take about 2ml of
the given sample of vegetable oil in a test tube.
We add about 4ml of light petroleum. We shake the
tube to get a clear solution. Now cool the test tube
in an ice & salt bath. If the mixture becomes turbid
then castor oil must be present in the given
sample of vegetable oils.

OBJECTIVE - 4
Aim :- To test the presence of adulterant in a given
sample of sugar.
THEORY : Common adulterants of sugar are
washing soda, chalk powder & semolina.
Sugar is soluble in water. Therefore, if any
undissolved substance is left on dissolving
sugar in water, then it is the indication of
adulteration in it. Washing soda & chalk
powder, both give effervescence with dilute
HCl, hence their presence in the sugar
sample could be detected by treating small
amount of sugar with dil. HCl.
APPARATUS : Test tube, test tube stand.
CHEMICAL : Dilute HCl & distilled water.
PROCEDURE :-
1. We take about 1g of the sugar sample in a test
tube & we add about 5ml of water into it. We shake
the contents of the tube for about 4-5 minutes.
Presence of undissolved substances indicates
adulteration in the sugar.
2. We take about 1g of the sugar sample in a clean &
dry test tube. We add about 2ml of dilute HCl to it.
Effervescence on adding of acid indicates the
presence of washing soda & chalk powder in the
sugar.

OBJECTIVE - 5

Aim :- To find out the possibility of adulteration in a

given sample of chili powder.

THEORY : Red chili powder is adulterated with

either colors or brick powder. Brick powder
being heavy than chili powder, settles at the
bottom on dissolving it in a glass of water. If
color had been added to the chili powder,
then water would have become colored.

APPARATUS : One glass or beaker & a glass rod.

CHEMICAL : Water

PROCEDURE :-

1. We add small amount of the given chili powder in a

glass full of water. We stir the contents with a glass
rod for a minute & wait for 2-3 minutes. Setting of
brick powder powder at bottom & appearance of
red colour indicates adulteration in the sample.

OBJECTIVE - 6

Aim :- To find out whether the given sample of

turmeric powder is pure or not.

THEORY : Yellow chalk powder, a common

adulterant of the turmeric powder gives
effervescence with dil, HCl.

APPARATUS : Test tube, test tube stand.

CHEMICAL : Dil, HCl & Water.

PROCEDURE :-
 1. We take 0.5g of the powdered sample in a test
tube. We add to it about 1ml of dil, HCl.
Effervescence indicates the presence of chalk
powder in the sample.

2. We dilute the contents of the tube with 25-30ml of

water. Disappearance of the violet colour formed
previously indicates the purity of turmeric powder.
However, if violet colour is first formed with dil. HCl
persisting, then it is contaminated yellow dye.

SOURCES & REMEDY OF FOOD ADULTERATION

TYPES OF COMMON HOW TO DETECT

FOOD ADULTERANT
1) Desi ghee & Vanaspati ghee, 1) We add a little sugar & HCl to small amount of
butter starchy material melted ghee or butter & shake it for 5 minutes.
powdered sweets, Presence of pink colour in the aqueous layer is
potato. indication of Vanaspati ghee is the sample.
2) We add about 2ml of water in ghee or butter &
boil. We add a drop of iodine or tincture of iodine
after cooling. Appearance of blue colour indicates
presence of starch matter in the sample.
2) Mustard oil Argemone oil To about 5ml of the oil, add few drops of conc. HNO 3
& shake carefully. Orange or red colour indicates the
presence of Argemone oil.
3) Sugar Chalk powder, We add about 2ml of dil. HCl to small amount of the
washing soda sample. Effervescence on addition of acid Shows the
 presence of chalk powder, washing soda in the sugar
sample.
4) Salt Chalk powder We add a little salt to water. Chalk powder will settle
down.
5) Red chilies Brick powder or We add small amount of the sample in a glass full of
powder injurious colour water. We stir the contents & wait for 2 minutes.
Brick powder settles at bottom. Appearance of red
colour in water indicates colour presence in the
sugar sample.
6) Pepper Dried papaya seeds We add small amount of the sample in a glass full of
paper. Dried papaya seeds float over water while the
pure pepper settles down.
7) Turmeric Yellow chalk powder We add about 1ml dil. HCl to small amount of the
powder sample. Effervescence indicates the presence of chalk
powder in the sample.
8) Tea Used tea leaves or We rub small amount of the sample between folds of
wooden chips after a moistened cloth. If cloth becomes coloured then
colouring. some dye is present in the sample.
9) Rice Stone chips resembling We add rice to a glass full of water. Stone chip will
rice. settle down at the bottom first.
10. Arhar & Khesari dal We add a little HCl in the sample & heat. Pink colour
gram dal indicates the presence of Khesari dal.

FACTS
BE INFORMED :-

Adulteration of fat & oil cannot be easily detected.

Ghee is adulterated with hydrogenated oil & animal fat.
Recently, because of the discovery of synthetic colors &
flavors, and fat can be made to look into ghee &
customers may easily be cheated. Til oil & coconut oil
are often mixed with groundnut or cottonseed oil & the
latter are cheaper. Mustard seeds are often mixed with
Argemone seeds & extracted together. Argemone oil
contains an alkaloid – sanguinary, which is highly toxic
& results in dropsy & paralysis. Mixing of palm oil with
soybean oil is a common practice among dishonest
traders for more profits.

DEFINITION OF FOOD ADULTERATION :

Food adulteration is the act of adding something

inferior, harmful, useful & unnecessary substance to
food. In the process of adulteration, extraneous matters
are directly added to food grains. Sands & crushed are
substances are added to increase weight. Mixing grain
polishing & husks are added to increase the weight.
Nowadays, plastic beads that have the shape of food
grains are often mixed with cereal grains. Colors beads
are added to the pulses. Sometimes water is sprayed
over the grain stock to increase the weight.

TEA-TASTY TO DRINK SO COMPLICATED TO ADULTERATED :

Leaves may be adulterated with the addition of used

tealeaves, sawdust, dried & ground leaves other than
tea leaves. Spices like chili & turmeric powder are
adulterated with the addition of lead pigment to impart
brightness in colors & good appearance. Chili powder is
normally adulterated by adding brick powder. Use of
CMC in lieu of liquid glucose or sugar syrup in the
preparation of soft drink in an example of extortion. In
the name of various fruit juices, imitation products are
prepared by using artificial & prohibited ingredients
instead of using original fruit juice. Recently, a special
drink named mineral water is being prepared &
marketed with little or no assurance of quality.

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