Adulteration, Supplementation and Fortification

1. Adulteration,
Supplementation
and Fortification
By:
Dr. Poonam Khanna,
Dr. Rachana Srivastava,
Dr. Savitesh Kushwaha
School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India

2. • Food is the basic necessity of life.
• The food we eat is absorbed by our body and is used to run metabolic processes and
sustain life.
• Food is essential for growth and various life processes.
• An array of food in our daily diet includes vegetables, fruits, legumes, pulses, grains, etc.
• All of these are either consumed raw or made into delicacies and savoured.
• But, nowadays, you might have seen very thin milk due to mixing with water, white,
yellow, or black pebbles in raw pulses, tiny white stones mixed with rice, and so on. This
mixing of elements with food items is adulteration.
Introduction: Food Adulteration
Adulteration

3. • A practice of substituting original crude drug partially or whole with other similar looking
substances, but the later is either free from or inferior in chemical and therapeutic
properties, is called Adulteration.
• Adulteration can be defined as intentional or unintentional admixture or substitution of
original or genuine article/ drug with inferior, non-permitted foreign matter, low grade,
spoiled, defective or useless or harmful substances.
• Adulteration is a legal offence, and when the food fails to meet the legal standards set by the
government, it is said to have been adulterated.
• Food adulteration occurs when substances that degrade the quality of food are intentionally
or unintentionally added to it.
• Thus, food adulteration can be defined as the contamination or adulteration of food or
materials by adding harmful substances.
Definition: Adulteration
Adulteration

4. • The substances that lower the quality of food,
when added to it, are called adulterants.
• It is a substance found within other food
substances that hamper the natural quality of the
food.
• The adulterant may be present in any form and
in any quantity.
• Adulterants are mostly harmful and pose the
ability to lower the potency of the product. Even
if it is not harmful, it reduces the nutritional
value of the food to a greater extent.
• Some adulterants are also identified as
carcinogenic or lethal when exposed to them for
a longer period. Different types of adulterants
are used to adulterate different types of food.
What is
Adulterant?
Adulteration

5. Some of the examples of food adulteration are listed below.
• Mixing of pulses with sand particles, pebbles.
• Mixing of milk with water.
• Mixing oil with chemical derivatives or cheaper oils.
• Packing low-quality food products with fresh or high-quality ones.
• Permitted food color like metanil yellow in turmeric powder,
potassium dichromate in curry powder, water and liquors
contaminated with cobalt and mercury, fungicide in treated grains.
Common examples of Food
Adulteration
Adulteration

6. LIST OF FOOD ADULTERANTS
Adulteration

7. History of adulteration
Adulteration
• During the prehistory times, humans have altered the state of food to extend its
shelf-life or improve its taste.
• About 300,000 years ago, humans used fire to cook and conserve meat. Later on,
salt was added to preserve meat without cooking.
• In ancient Rome, wine was often mixed with honey, herbs, spices, saltwater, chalk
or lead, serving as both a sweetener and a preservative.
• During the Middle Ages, imported valuable and high prices spices were of high
demand and limited supply.
• Adulteration was thought to be first investigated in 1820 by the German chemist
Frederick Accum, who identified many toxic metal colourings in foods and drinks.
• Later on physician Arthur Hill Hassall carried out extensive research in the early
1850s, which led to the food adulteration act 1860 and further legislations.

8. Reasons of Food Adulteration
Adulteration
We always notice the practice of adding water to milk to increase its quantity and
gain more profit. Similarly, food adulteration is done by the food manufacturers and
industries for various reasons.
• As a part of a business strategy to gain more profit.
• To make the food presentable.
• For imitation of some other food which is more in demand.
• Done by those who do not have a proper understanding.
• Due to a lack of awareness or proper knowledge.
• To depreciate or injuriously affect the quality of food.
• To fulfil market/public demand by increasing quantity of food.
• To make maximum profit with less investment.
• Lack food adulteration literacy among general public.
• Lack of effective food laws.
• Lack of government initiative to control food adulteration.

9. Types of Food Adulteration
Adulteration
Following are the different types of food adulteration:
• Intentional Adulteration:- When substances that look similar to the constituents of the food
are added to it to increase its weight and gain more profit. Example- mixing pebbles, stones,
marbles, sand, mud, filth, chalk powder, contaminated water, etc.
• Incidental Adulteration:- Incidental adulteration occurs due to negligence while handling
food, like residues of pesticides in grains, larvae growth, presence or droppings of rodents,
etc.
• Metallic Adulteration:- The addition of metallic materials into food like lead or mercury,
either accidentally or intentionally.
• Packaging Hazard:- The packing materials in which the food is packed may also interfere
and mix with the constituents of the food, leading to packaging hazards.
• Irradiating the Foods:- In food irradiation, ionising radiation like radionuclide Cobalt-60 is
applied to food for destroying and checking the multiplication of microorganisms, bacteria,
viruses, or insects and for sprout inhibition, delay of ripening and rehydration.

10. Two Main
Types of
Food
Adulteration
s
Adulteration
•Due to similarity in morphology and/or
aroma
•Lack of knowledge about authentic
source
•Lack of availability of authentic plant
•Absence of proper means of evaluation
Unintentional/
Indirect
• High price of the food in the
market
• Due to scarcity of the drug
• To earn more profit.
Intentional/
Direct

11. Types
Of
Intentional
Adulteration
Adulteration
Substitution with inferior commercial variety
Adulteration by artificially manufactured substance
Usage of the vegetative part of the same plant
Addition of worthless heavy metal/toxic material
Addition of synthetic principle
Substitution by exhausted drug

12. Methods of Food Adulteration
Adulteration
Mixing
• A simple
conventional
method of
mixing of sand,
dust, clay, mud,
and pebbles with
food particles
Substituting
• Some healthy
constituents are
replaced by
cheaper and low-
quality ones,
which alter the
nutritional values
of the food and
may even
impose a health
hazard.
Toxic Substances
•Food adulteration
also involves mixing
food with toxic
substances to gain
higher profit and
increase sales. For
example, addition of
colour, dyes, or
harmful unpermitted
preservatives.
Misbranding
•Altering the
manufacturing
dates, expiry dates,
list of ingredients or
misleading
ingredient
derivatives, and so
on.
Artificial Ripening
• Adding chemicals to
the fruits and
vegetables which
speed up the process
of ripening in them, is
also considered food
adulteration. For
example, mango is
ripened with carbide
for meeting the
commercial demand
against supply.
Decomposed Foods
• This method indicates
mixing decomposed
food with healthy
ones. Food that even
conceals damage or
inferiority of any
manner is also
considered to be
adulterated. Also,
deliberately mixing
healthy and
questionable food
leads to the final
product being
adulterated.

13. Different Methods used for Intentional
Adulteration
Adulteration
Methods Description Example
Substitution with inferior
(substandard) commercial varieties
Due to the morphological resemblance inferior quality
drugs adulterated to the original drug
Japanese ginger to adulterate medicinal ginger
Substitution by superficially similar
(Inferior/cheaper natural substance)
Drug which is used for adulteration physically very
similar to the original drug
Indian dill with European dill or caraway
Belladonna and Senna leaves substituted by Ailanthus
leaves
Substitution by exhausted drug In this method active constituent of drug extracted out
and are used again.
Clove, Fennel after extracting volatile oil. Used tea leaves
dried and mixed with genuine drug.
Adulteration/Substitution by
artificially manufactured substance
Substance are artificially made to look like similar to
adulterate the original drug
Compressed chicory in place of coffee, artificial invert
sugar for honey
Usage or presence of vegetative
matter from the same plant
Presence of excessive amount of vegetative part of same
plant adulteration by faulty collection
Excessive amount of stem in Senna, Starmonium, lobelia,
mosses, liver worts and lichens growing on bark are
mixed with the cinchona or cascara.
Adulteration by the addition of
worthless heavy material/toxic
material
Generally stne and gravels are added to the drug to
increase its weight
A large number of stone wth liquorice root Limestone
pieces with Asafoetida
Addition of synthetic principles Additions of synthetic substance to the original drug Citral to lemon oil, Benzyl benzoate to balsam of peru

14. Adulteration
Example of Intentional Food
Adulteration

15. Example of
Intentional
Food
Adulteration
Adulteration

16. Adulteration
Example of Intentional Food
Adulteration

17. Example of
Intentional
Food
Adulteration
Adulteration

18. Malnutrition Cancer Gastrointestina
l
Multiple Organ Failure
Adulteration
Effects of Food Adulteration
• Food adulteration has a great impact on our health. Be it any adulteration, prolonged
consumption of this food harms the body.
• Consuming such food increases the toxicity in the body. As the nutritional value of the
adulterated food goes down, such food is no longer nutritive for the body.
• Adding chemical adulterants and colours proves to be fatal as they pose an onset of health
risks and carcinogens.
• Some adulterated food may also affect our internal organs directly, leading to heart, kidney,
liver, and many more organ disorders and failure.
• Adulteration caused a variety of adverse effects ranging from mild (allergic reactions,
fatigue, gastrointestinal upset, mood disturbances or muscle weakness, nausea, pain, and
respiratory complaints) to moderate (confusion, convulsions, dermatitis, lethargy or
seizures, sensory disturbances, vomiting)
• Severe (carcinomas, coma, poisoning, multiorgan failure, nephrotoxicity, renal or liver
failure or death).

19. Adulteration
Effects of Food Adulteration
Malnutrition
Cancer
Gastrointestina
l
Multiple Organ Failure

20. Adulteration
Adulterants
and Effects of
Food
Adulteration

21. Adulteration
Prevention of Food
Adulteration
• Adulterant is rampant in poor strata of society due to consumer’s illiteracy and
ignorance of their rights towards food adulteration. Some of the methods of
prevention of food adulteration are:
• On the industry level, food adulteration can only be checked with strict laws and
government interventions and checks.
• To avoid consuming adulterated food, ensure you don’t buy deep or dark-coloured
groceries.
• Stop consuming processed food.
• Wash or soak your fruits and vegetables well in water before consuming.
• Canned or tinned foods must be checked for leaks or puffing before buying.
• In Indian markets, FSSAI is the government license number for food safety. Thus,
always look for FSSAI, a list of ingredients, manufacturing, and expiry dates on the
food packs.

22. Adulteration
Detection of Food
Adulteration
• There is no single method to detect
food adulteration and prevent the
supply of contaminated or
substandard food.
• Various physico-chemical, analytical,
microbiological, and sensory
techniques are used to detect
adulteration in food products and
control adulteration practices.
• Different food products are
adulterated with different
substandard constituent and require
different detection methods.
• Today, FSSAI (2006) is the authority
of India for regulating food supply
and processing market. (DART)

23. Fortification
Food Fortification

24. Requirement of
micronutrients
• Micronutrients – or vitamins and minerals – are essential for healthy and
productive development of human body.
• The causes of vitamin and mineral deficiencies are multiple and interconnected, but
at the basic level, related to food.
• If not having right quantities of micronutrients, the consequences are: increased
mortality, low birth weight, impaired mental development, chronic disease,
infection and reduced productivity.
• A well-integrated strategy is, therefore, critical for long term success in reducing
malnutrition, improving health, educational achievement and economic
productivity.
Fortification

25. Risk factors for
micronutrient
malnutrition
• Monotonous diet resulting in low micronutrient
intake and poor bioavailability, especially of minerals.
• Low intake of animal source foods.
• Low prevalence of breastfeeding.
• Low micronutrient density of complementary foods.
• Increased physiological demands for growth during
pregnancy and lactation.
• Increased demand due to acute infection (especially if
infection episodes are frequent), chronic infection
(e.g. tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS) and disease
(e.g. cancer).
• Poor general nutritional status, in particular, protein–
energy malnutrition.
• Malabsorption due to diarrhoea or the presence of
intestinal parasites (e.g. Giardia lamblia, hookworms)
• Increased excretion (e.g. due to schistosomiasis, i.e.,
parasitic diseases ).
• Seasonal variations in food availability, food
shortages.
• Social deprivation, illiteracy, low education.
• Poor economic status and poverty. Fortification

26. Why Focus on Hunger and
Malnutrition ?
• Malnutrition starts early... Right from the Womb
Fortification
• Premature death.
• Disability, life-long
susceptibility to illness.
• Poor cognitive and learning
skills.
• Low achievement in school.
• Low productivity and low
wages, and hence, poverty.
Hunger and
malnutrition
stunt growth -
intellectually
and physically,
leading to

27. Programmes and Ministry
Fortification
Ministry Of
Rural
Development
Applied
Nutrition
Programme
(ANP) (1963)
Ministry Of
Social Welfare
Integrated Child
Development
Services
Scheme (1975).
Balwadi
Nutrition
Programme
(1970-71)
Special
Nutrition
Programme
(1970-71)
Ministry of
Health &
Family Welfare
National
Anemia
Prophylaxis
Programme
(1970)
National
Prophylaxis
Programme for
prevention of
blindness
(1970)
National Iodine
Deficiency
Disorder
Control
Programme
(1992)
Ministry of
Health & Family
Welfare
Rashtriya Kishor
Swasthya
Karyakram (RKSK)
(2014)
Weekly iron and
folic acid
supplementation
(WIFS) & NIPI
(2013)
Wheat Based
Supplementary
Nutrition
Programme (WNP)
(1986)
Ministry of
Education
Mid-day Meal
Scheme (1995)
Women &
Child
Development
Kishori Shakti
Yojana (2007)
Ministry of
Social Welfare
Nutrition
Programme for
Adolescent
Girls (NPAG)
(2002-03)
NITI AAYOG
National
Nutrition
Strategy (2017)

28. National
Nutrition
Policy - 1993
Fortification
Essential food items shall be fortified
with appropriate nutrients, for example,
salt with iodine and/or iron.
Fortification of salt with iron, a
universally consumed dietary article, has
been identified as a measure to control
anaemia.
Accordingly, fortification of salt with iron
as a public health approach is piloted in
Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan.
• Fortification addresses Goals 4 and 5 of the MDGs and 3 of the
SDGs.
• The momentum accelerated in 2016 when the country’s food
regulator—Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)—
established standards for fortification of rice, wheat flour, edible
oil, double fortified salt (DFS), and milk.

29. Global & India Hunger Map
Fortification

30. Micronutrients Status of India
Fortification
Micronutrient Category Freq. Percent
Vitamin A
Normal 8498 82.58
Deficiency 1792 17.42
Folate
Normal 10741 90.39
Deficiency 1142 9.61
Ferritin
Normal 10251 85.97
Deficiency 1673 14.03
Zinc
Normal 9564 91.82
Deficiency 852 8.18
Vitamin B12
Normal 10227 92.4
Deficiency 841 7.6
Vitamin D
Normal 11020 81.77
Deficiency 2457 18.23
Haemoglobin
Normal 9039 73.27
Deficiency 3299 26.73
Urine Iodine
Normal 14116 95.45
Deficiency 672 4.55
Our Study on CNNS
data (5-9 years)

31. Impact of Micronutrient
Malnutrition
Fortification
Learning
Ability
School
Performance
Retention
Rate
Speech &
Hearing
Defects

32. Interventions for
micronutrient deficiency in
children
Fortification
Bio
Fortification
Food
Fortification
Supplementat
ion
Dietary
Diversification

33. Interventions for
micronutrient deficiency in
children
Fortification
Dietary Diversification
• Demand factors: rapid income growth,
urbanisation.
• Supply factors: availability of food locally.
• Policies and programming in agriculture.
• Education
Supplementation
• Micronutrient Supplementation Programme
Vitamin A
IFA Syrup
Deworming
Salt testing for iodine levels
• Being conducted every year in the month of April
and October/November.
Food Fortification
• Immediate intervention : fortification of
staple food- wheat, rice, oil, milk.
• Medium term interventions: Mid day meal
and ICDS.
• Long term intervention : Strengthening of
PDS system and involvement of private
sector.
Bio Fortification
• Biofortification is the process by which the
nutritional quality of food crops is improved
through agronomic practices, conventional plant
breeding, or modern biotechnology.
• Biofortification differs from conventional
fortification: biofortification aims to increase crop
nutrient levels during plant growth rather than
through manual means during processing.

34. WIFS
Fortification

35. What is Food Fortification?
Fortification
Fortification adds vitamins and minerals to foods as they
are processed in order to make them more nutritious.
These vitamins and minerals are added to food staples
such as wheat and maize flour, rice, salt, and oil.
Food fortificants may include iron, iodine, folic acid,
vitamin A, and B12.

36. Advantages of
Food
Fortification
Fortification
Fortification is a proven simple
technology with no change in
texture, colour and taste.
Fortification improves health status
with high bioavailability
Fortification has a positive impact
Fortification is inexpensive & doesn’t
require behaviour change
Fortification improves national
economic performance by:
•Improving the health and nutritional
status of people
•Improving their work capacity, &
Reducing burden of health care costs

37. Commonly Fortified Foods
Fortification
Salt Iodine, Iron
Wheat and
maize flour Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamins B12, Vitamin A, Zinc
Cooking Oils
and Fats Vitamins A and D
Sugar Vitamins A
Condiments
(Sauces) Iron
Milk Vitamins A, D, & Iron
Supplementary
Foods Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamins B12, Vitamin A, Zinc

38. Quantity of Fortificant/Premix
Fortification
Fortification poses no risk for the
normal individual as food consumption
is self-limiting and the micronutrient
absorption falls, as the stores increase.
This protects against excessive
micronutrient accumulation.
Fortification is a preventive measure
for micronutrient malnutrition. The
goal is not to provide 100% daily
micronutrient requirements but to fill
the gap between intake from other
sources and daily micronutrient needs.

39. Fortification standards for
staples
Fortification
Micronutrient Atta & Rice (per kg) Oil (per gram) Milk (per Litre)
Iron 28-42.5 mg OR 14-21.25 mg
Vitamin B12 0.75-1.25 ug
Folic Acid 75-125 ug
Vitamin A 500-750 ug RE 6.0-9.9 ug RE 270-450 ug RE
Vitamin D 0.11-0.16 ug 5.0-7.5 ug
Thiamine (B1) 1-1.5 mg
Riboflavin (B2) 1.25-1.75 mg
Niacin (B3) 12.5-20 mg
Pyridoxine(B6) 1.5-2.5 mg
Zinc 10-15 mg
Vitamin A (retinol): 1 IU= 0.3 µg RE (Retinol Equivalent); Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol or
Ergocalciferol), only plant source: 1 IU= 0.025 µg

40. Cost to Fortification
Fortification

41. References
https://www.pfndai.org/Document/Association_News/Delhi%20Activity/Food_Fortification_In_India_Enriching
_Food_Lives_-_Ms_Deepti_Gulati_.pdf
https://hungermap.wfp.org/
https://wcd.nic.in/sites/default/files/National%20Nutrition%20Policy_0.pdf
https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/programmes/wifs/operational-framework-
wifs/operational_framework_wifs.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6886130/pdf/IJMR-150-239.pdf
https://fssai.gov.in/upload/knowledge_hub/1878035b34b558a3b48DART%20Book.pdf