13 Home Kits to Detect Food Adulteration – Read Easy

know the basic techniques to detect food adulteration at your home and tests to detect it

Home Kit to Detect Food Adulteration

Turmeric Powder

Adulteration – Yellow Aniline Dyes

Test – Shake a little Turmeric powder (Suspended in Water) with a solution of Rectified spirit.

Observation & Inference – The solution turns yellow immediately.

Principle – The Yellow aniline dyes separate on adding rectified spirit.

          Harmful Effects – Carcinogenic.

Sweets, Juices, Jams

Adulteration – Non-permitted coal tar dye (Metanil Yellow).

Test – To the sample add hot water and to the separated colouring matter, adds a few drops of HCl.

Observation & Inference – Pinkish Red colour shows the presence of Metanil yellow.

Principle – On adding HCl, the structure of Metanil yellow gives a pink colour at low pH.

Harmful Effects – Metanil yellow is toxic and Carcinogenic.

Wheat & other food grains

Adulteration – Ergot (A Fungus containing a poisonous substance).

          Test –To the sample add common salt solution and shake.

Observation & Inference – The impurity ergot floats on top while the pure food grains settle at the bottom.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – Poisonous

Black Pepper

Adulteration – Papaya Seeds.

Test – Smell Pepper, Examine with a magnifying lens.

Observation & Inference – Papaya seeds have a repulsive flavour; Examine with a magnifying lens.

Principle – (-)

          Harmful Effects – Stomach, Liver problems.

Adulteration – Rotten pepper and light berries.

Test – Add a little solution of Rectified spirit to the sample.

Observation & Inference – Rotten pepper, Papaya seeds and light berries float.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – Stomach, Liver problems.

Chilli Powder

Adulteration – Brick Powder.

Test – Add water to the powder and shake.

          Observation & Inference – The brick powder settles down.

Principle – Due to the heaviness, brick powder settles down. The brick powder contains calcium salts which give brick red flame.

Harmful Effects – Stomach Problems.

Adulteration – Brick Powder.

Test – To a little powder add concentrated HCl introduce as paste into flame through the backside of a matchstick.

Observation & Inference – The brick red flame colour is due to the presence of calcium salts in brick powder.

Principle – Due to the heaviness, brick powder settles down. The brick powder contains calcium salts which give brick red flame.

Harmful Effects – Stomach Problems.

Adulteration – Artificial Colours.

Test – Sprinkle the chilli powder on a glass of water.

Observation & Inference –  Artificial colourants descend in coloured streaks.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – Toxic.

Asafoetida

Adulteration – Foreign resins galbanum, Colophony resin.

Test – Powder a gram of Asafoetida and shake it with a solution of Rectified spirit. Filter the extract and to 5 mL of it, add the solution of FeCl₃.

Observation & Inference – Olive Green colour shows the presence of foreign resins.

Principle – Colophony is a resin obtained as a residue after the distillation of Turpentine oil. This forms a coloured complex when shaken with Rectified spirit and Ferric Chloride.

Harmful Effects – Allergy, Dysentery.

Test – Burn on a spoon (Like Camphor).

Observation & Inference –  Burns like camphor shows a pure sample.

Principle – Pure Asafoetida burns quickly like aromatic camphor.

Harmful Effects – (-)

Honey

Adulteration – Sugar plus Water.

Test – A cotton wick dipped in honey is burnt.

Observation & Inference – If adulterated with water, the honey will not burn or burn with a cracking sound.

Principle – Due to the presence of water, the wick does not burn or form a cracking sound.

Harmful Effects – (-)

Adulteration – Invert Sugar

Test – Add Resorcinol and HCl.

Observation & Inference – The red colour is obtained.

Principle – When honey is adulterated with invert sugar (Glucose and Fructose) on adding Resorcinol and HCl, red colour is obtained.

Harmful Effects – (-)

Cloves

Adulteration – Cloves from which volatile oil has been extracted.

          Test – Examine with a magnifying lens.

Observation & Inference – Can be identified by the small size and shrunken appearance. The adulterated cloves are less pungent.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – (-)

Jaggery

Adulteration – Washing Soda.

Test – Add a few drops of a solution of HCl.

Observation & Inference – Effervescence shows the presence of washing soda.

Principle – Washing soda, a base reacts with hydrochloric acid and liberates CO₂ which gives effervescence.

Harmful Effects – Diarrhoea, Vomiting.

Adulteration – Chalk Powder.

Test – Dissolve a little sample in water in a test tube.

Observation & Inference – Chalk powder settles down.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – (-)

Test – Add a few drops of a solution of concentrated HCl.

Observation & Inference – Effervescence indicates the presence of an adulterant.

Principle – Chalk powder contains carbonates of magnesium and calcium. These carbonates react with HCl and liberate CO₂ with effervescence.

CaCo₃ + 2HCl —> CaCl₂ + H₂O + CO₂

Harmful Effects – Liver Disorder.

Common Salt

Adulteration – Chalk Powder or White powdered stone.

Test – Dissolve a little sample in water.

Observation & Inference – The solution turns white indicating the presence of chalk and other impurities settle down.

Principle – Chalk powder contains carbonates of magnesium and calcium which are insoluble in water and hence the solution turns white.

Harmful Effects – Stomach Disorder.

Mustard Seeds

Adulteration – Argemone Seeds.

Test – Examine with a magnifying lens.

Observation & Inference – Mustard seeds have a smooth surface while the argemone seeds have a rough surface and are blacker in colour.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – Oedema (Dropsy).

Silver Leaves

Adulteration – Aluminium Leaves.

Test – Burn the leaves in flame.

Observation & Inference – Pure silver leaves burn away completely leaving glistening balls while aluminium leaves are reduced to grey ash.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – (-)

Supari

Adulteration – Colours and Saccharin.

Test – Add water to the sample.

Observation & Inference – Colour dissolves in water. Saccharin gives the characteristic sweet taste.

Principle – (-)

Harmful Effects – (-)

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