Adulteration of food is a serious problem that can cause health issues. Common adulterants include things like chemicals, cheaper substitutes, or removal of valuable ingredients from foods like milk, spices, cereals and more. This deceives consumers and can lead to diseases. The government has established agencies and passed laws like the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to set food standards, conduct testing, and regulate the food industry to protect consumers from unsafe adulterated foods. It is important for consumers to be aware of adulterants and check food labels, sources and visual signs of contamination.

3.  Food is what we eat, but not everything we eat is food
 The explanation for this lies in the fact that food has a function- to
keep us healthy and alive – and unless what we eat contributes to this
function in some way, it should not be strictly counted as food
 One of the main reasons for this is adulteration of food
 These adulterants can cause health problems ranging from skin allergy
to cancer
 The presence od adulterants may be accidental or may be deliberately
added to meet the demand of the product
 In this busy world, it is essential for every one of us to be aware of the
quality of food products we buy and eat

4. Adulteration of food means substitution of the genuine food material
wholly or in part with any cheaper or inferior substance or removal of
any of its constituents, wholly or in part, which affects adversely the
nature, substance or quality of the food.

5.  Adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food
offered for sale either by mixture or substitution of inferior substances
or by the removal of some valuable ingredients
 Adulteration in food is normally present in its most crude form;
Prohibited substances are either added partly or wholly
 Normally the contamination/adulteration in food is done either for
financial gain, due to carelessness and lack in proper hygienic
condition of processing, storing, transportation and marketing
 Majority of adulterants used by the shopkeepers are cheap substitutes
which are easily available and adulteration done for economic profits

6.  Such types of adulteration are quite common in developing countries
or backward countries
 It is equally important for the consumer to know the common
adulterants and their effect on health
 In past few decades, adulteration of food has become one of the most
serious problems
 Consumption of adulterated food causes diseases like cancer, asthma,
ulcer, etc. This ultimately results in the fact that the consumer is either
cheated or often become victim of diseases

7. S.No. Name of the food
product
Common adulterants Diseases caused
1. Black pepper Dried Papaya seeds Stomach irritation, liver
damage, cancer
2. Arahar dal Yellow dye, kesari dal Leprosy, Paralysis
3. Coffee powder Chicory Deprived from nutrition
value
4. Butter and pur desi
ghee
Starch, Vanaspati ghee Food poisoning
5. Milk Water, starch, fatless
milk
Stomach disorder

8. 6. Jeera Stone, alike seeds
from wild plants
Stomach disorder, liver
damage
7. Chilly powder Brick powder, artificial
colours
Liver damage, Stomach
irritation
8. Sugar Fine white sand, chalk
powder, ravaa
Stomach disorder
9. Cereals Stone pieces, mud,
ergot seeds
Stomach disorder
10. Gram dal Kesari dal, clay, stone Stomach disorder, lathyrism

9. 11. Rice Clay or other stones Stomach problem
12. Wheat Flour Chalk powder Gastrointestinal
damage, Stomach
pain, Diarrhoea
13. Honey Sugar syrup
14. Common salt Chalk powder, white stone Gastrointestinal
damage, Stomach
pain, Diarrhoea
15. Ice cream Washing powder, Metanil
yellow and other food colours
Severe stomach and
liver disorders
16. Tea Coal tar dye, exhausted tea or
gram dhal husk with colour
Liver disorder,
carcinogenic
17. Turmeric Powder Yellow aniline dye, lead
chromate
Liver disorder,
carcinogenic

10. S.No. Name of the food
product
Common adulterants Diseases caused
18. Coriander seeds Clay particles, dried
cow dung particles
Abrasive effect on the
digestive tract
19. Green vegetables Colouring agents Carcinogenic
20. Apples Wax coating Harm to digestive system,
ulceration and gastric
problems
21. Mangoes and
Bananna
Calcium carbide Carcinogenic, harmful to
digestive system and liver
22. Ravaa Iron filings Harmful to important organs
of our body
23. Fruit Juices Diluting with inferior
quality juice, artificial
flavours and colours
Harm to digestive system,
ulceration and gastric
problems

11. S.No. Name of the
food product
Common adulterants Simple Test for Detection
1. Milk Water Lactometer reading should not be
less than 1.026
Put a drop of milk on a polished
surface ,if it flows easily that
shows the presence of water
starch Add tincture of iodine, if blue
colour appears it shows the
presence of starch
2. Bananna Calcium carbide If the stem of bannana appears
green instead of shiny yellow, it
might have been ripened by Cac
3. Ravaa Iron filings By moving a magnet through it,
iron filings can be see

12. 4 Rice Clay or other stones By visualization and hand picking
5. Wheat Flour Chalk powder Add drop of dil.Hcl and observe
liberation of carbon-di-oxide
6. Honey Sugar syrup A cotton dipped in adultered honey
will not allow it to burn easily and it
will produce a crackling sound
7. Common salt Chalk powder, white
stone
Stir a spoonful of salt in a glass of
water. The presence of chalk will
make the solution white and other
insoluble impurities will settle down
8. Ice cream Washing powder,
Metanil yellow and
other food colours
Take a sample and add a drop of
lemon juice. If bubbles appear, it
shows the presence of washing
powder.
Add a drop of con.HCl, if red colour
appears, it shows the presence of
metanil yellow.

13. 9. Tea Coal tar dye,
exhausted tea or
gram dhal husk with
colour
Tea leaves sprinkled on blotting
paper, immediately shows the
presence of added colour
10. Turmeric Powder Yellow aniline dye,
lead chromate
On shaking little of the turmeric
powder with alcohol, the
solution may become yellow
immediately
11. Coriander seeds Clay particles, dried
cow dung particles
Hand picking
Shake with a little of water,
colouring of water shows the
presence of cow dung.
12. Green vegetables Colouring agents Shake with a little of water,
colouring of water shows the
presence of cow dung.
13. Apples Wax coating Apple will appear very glossy and
shiny and have slight scratches and
thin layer of wax peeling off

14. 14. Chilli
powder
Brick
powder,food
colour
When added to water, brick powder will settle down
at the bottom while chilli powder floats .
15. Sugar Fine sand
particles and
sujee
Dissolve sugar in water, Fine sand particles and sujee
will settle down at the bottom.
16. Ghee or
butter
vanaspathi Melt ghee with equal amount of con.HCl, in a test tube
and add sugar shake well and keep it for 5 minutes.
Appearance of crimson colour shows the presence of
vanaspathi
Potatoes and
starch
Appearance of blue colour with tincture of iodine shows
the presence of starch.
17. Coffee
powder
Chicory powder Add water and shake, if red colour develops shows the
presence of chicory.

15. 18. Black pepper Papaya seeds Add water and stir , papaya seeds will float on
water while pepper will settle down at the bottom .
19. Edible oils Mineral oil Take oil in a spoon and heat for sometime, if a green
colour appears it shows the presence of mineral oil.
Argemone oil Add Conc.HNO3, and shake well. Red colour
appearance shows the presence of argemone oil.
20. Dhal Keshar dhal Add 50 ml. of dil. HCl to dhal and boil , if pink
colour appears it shows the presence of keshar dhal.
21. Cereals Clay, stones and
mud
hand picking
22. Jaggery
powder
Washing
powder, chalk
powder
Add few drops of lime juice, effervescence will
indicate adulteration.

16. Certain Govt. Measures To Check Corruption
 To check this kind of anti-social evil a concerted and determined
onslaught was launched by the Government by introduction of the
Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill in the Parliament to herald an
era of much needed hope and relief for the consumers at large
 Adulteration of food-stuffs and other goods’ is now included in the
Concurrent List (III) in the Constitution of India.
 It provides for —
i. a Central Food Laboratory to which food samples can be referred
to for final opinion in disputed cases (clause 4)

17. ii. a Central Committee for Food Standards consisting of
representatives of Central and State Governments to advise on
matters arising from the administration of the Act (clause 3), and
iii. the vesting in the Central Government of the rule-making power
regarding standards of quality for the articles of food and certain
other matters (clause 22).
ACT 37 OF 1954
 The Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill was passed by both the
house of Parliament and received the assent of the President on
29th September, 1954
 It came into force on 1st June, 1955 as THE PREVENTION OF
FOOD ADULTERATION ACT, 1954 (37 of 1954)

18. LIST OF ADAPTATION ORDER AND AMENDING ACTs
1. The Adaptation of Laws (No.3) Order, 1956.
2. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment) Act, 1964
(49 of 1964).
3. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment) Act, 1971
(41 of 1971).
4. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment) Act, 1976
(34 of 1976).
5. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment) Act, 1986
(70 of 1986).

19.  Several agencies have been set up by the Government of India to
remove adulterants from food stuffs
 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India- The Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an agency of the Ministry of
Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
 The FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health
through the regulation and supervision of food safety

20.  AGMARK – Acronym for agricultural marketing. This
organization certifies food products for their quality. Its objective
is to promote the Grading and Standardization of agricultural and
allied commodities.
 Bureau of Indian Standards {formerly the Indian Standards
Institution (ISI)}- The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the
national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
Government of India.

21.  Selection of wholesome and no adulterated food is essential for
daily life to make sure that such foods do not cause any health
hazard
 It is not possible to ensure wholesome food only on visual
examination when the toxic contaminants are present in ppm level
 However, visual examination of the food before purchase makes
sure to ensure absence of insects, visual fungus, foreign matters,
etc.
 Therefore, due care taken by the consumer at the time of purchase
of food after thoroughly examining can be of great help

22.  Secondly, label declaration on packed food is very important for
knowing the ingredients and nutritional value
 It also helps in checking the freshness of the food and the period of
best before use
 The consumer should avoid taking food from an unhygienic place
and food being prepared under unhygienic conditions. Such types of
food may cause various diseases
 Consumption of cut fruits being sold in unhygienic conditions should
be avoided
 It is always better to buy certified food from reputed shop

23. Bibliography
www.wikipedia.org
www.icbse.com
www.ncert.nic.in
www.scribd.com