Food adulteration refers to adding unwanted substances or removing valuable ones from food. Major incidents in India found high levels of adulteration in milk, eggs, and Maggi noodles. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) found violations in Maggi including excessive lead and misleading labeling. Many food products are commonly adulterated such as milk, spices, honey, and oils. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954 aims to protect public health from harmful adulterated food. The FSSAI regulates food safety and standards in India.

1. Food Adulteration
It refers to the intentional addition of some unwanted substances to
food or the removal of valuable substance from food.
"Adulteration" is a legal term meaning that a food product fails to
meet federal or state standards.
Major incidents
 In 2012, a study in India conducted by the Food Safety
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) across 33 states found that
milk in India is adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea,
as well diluted with water. Of the 1791 random samples from
33 states, just 31.5% of the samples tested (565) conformed to
the FSSAI standards while the rest 1226 (68.4%) failed the test.
 Indian Veterinary Research Institute discovered in a survey in
2013 that 28 per cent of the eggs sampled in Bareilly,
Izzatnagar (Uttar Pradesh) and Dehradun(Uttarakhand) were
contaminated with E.coli.
Ban on Maggi
 It all started with the sampling and testing of Maggi by the
office of Commissioner of Food Safety, Uttar Pradesh
 The FSSAI then advised the Commissioners of Food Safety in
various states to draw samples of Maggi and get the same
tested from authorized laboratories.
Three major violations have been noted by FSSAI
 Presence of Lead detected in the product in excess of the
maximum permissible levels of 2.5 ppm.

2.  Misleading labelling information on the package reading “No
added MSG”.
 Release of a non-standardised food product in the market, viz.
“Maggi Oats Masala Noodles with Tastemaker” without risk
assessment and grant of product approval.
MSG: The notorious taste enhancer
 It is normally known as Ajinomoto, the secret ingredient is
actually called Monosodium Glutamate (MSG).
 It interacts with the other flavours (mainly salty and sour) and
enhances the taste by triggering the receptors of your taste
buds.
 Excessive MSG consumption causes headache, flushing,
sweating,facial pressure, numbness, chest pain, nausea and
weakness.
 it also cause brain damage and eye problems for children.
KINDER JOY ISSUE
 KINDER JOY contains wax coating .
 Your body can take up to two days to get rid of the
accumulated wax .
 This accumulation can lead to cancer.
 Body takes 2 days to clean the wax.
Different Types of Food Adulteration
Intentional food adulteration:
Sand, marble chips, stones, mud, other filth, talc , chalk powder,
water, mineral oil

3. Incidental food adulteration
Metallic food adulteration
Packaging Hazards
Polyethylene,polyvinyl chloride and allied compounds are used to
produce flexible packaging
material.
Reasons for Adulteration
 To get more profit.
 High demand.
 To increase the weight.
 To increase volume of trade by showing lower prices.
 Lack of proper food laws.
 Outdated processing techniques.
 Lack of government initiatives.
 Not aware of its effects.
Dals and pulses
 Adulterant: Khesari dal
 Detection : It can be separated by visual examination
Green chillies, green peas &other vegetables
 Adulterant : Malachite Green,
 Health hazard: carcinogenic if consumed over a long period.
Milk
 Adulterant : water, starch
Detection:

4.  The presence of water can be analyzed by putting a drop of
milk on a polished slanting surface.
 The drop of pure milk flow slowly leaving a white mark behind
it.
 Adulterated milk flow immediately without leaving a mark.
 2 ml of milk is taken in a test tube
 Add few drops of iodine solution .Formation of blue colour
indicates the presence of starch.
Detection of detergent in milk
1. Take 5-10 ml of samples with an equal amount of water.
2. Shake the contents thoroughly.
3. If milk is adulterated with detergent,it forms dense lather.
4. pure milk will form very thin foam layer due to agitation.
Mustard seeds
 Adultrant:argemone seeds
Detection
 Take small quality of mustard seeds in glass plate.
 Examine visually for the argemone seeds.
 Mustard seeds have smooth and when pressed,inside it is
yellow colour.
 Argemone seeds have grainy, rough surface and black in colour.
When pressed, inside it is white in colour.
Coffee powder
 Adulterant:tamrind seeds

5. Detection :
 Pure coffee will always float on the water.
 If there are powdered tamarind seeds, they will sink bottom.
Ghee
 Adulterant: vanaspathi
Cooking oil
 Adulterant: vanaspathi
Detection:
 In room temperature , vanaspathi ghee solidifies but
cooking oil remains same.
Sugar
 Adulterant :urea, chalk powder
Detection:If Urea is present it gives the smell of
ammonia when dissolved in water.
 10g of sample is dissolved in a 50 ml of water allowed
for settling,chalk will settle down at the bottom.
Coriander powder
• Adulterant: Saw Dust
• Take a little amount (a half of tea-spoon) of the sample.
• Sprinkle it on water in a bowl. Spice powder gets sedimented at
the bottom and saw-dust floats on the surface.

6. Honey
• Adulterant: sugar solution
Detection:
• Cotton wick is dipped in honey and burnt over flame.
• The presence of water will not allow honey to burn and it will
produces cracking sound.
Jaggary
• Adulterant :washing soda
Detection:
• Small amount of Jaggary solution is taken and added few drops
of conc.HCl.
• Formation of effervescence shows the presence of washing
soda.
Tea
• Adulterant :iron flakes
Detection :
• Small quantity of the sample is spread over a paper,
• A magnet was drawn over it, if iron flakes are present
• clings to the magnet.
Chilly powder
• Adulterant: bricks powder
Detection:
• Add teaspoon of chilli powder to a glass of plain water.
• It may turn reddish-brown due to presence of brick powder.
• Pure red chilli powder does not really dissolve in water.

7. Black pepper
• Adulterant : papaya seeds
Detection
• Papaya seeds easily floating on water surface.
• But, black pepper deposited at the bottom.
Iodized salt
• Adulterant :common salt
Detection :
• A piece of potato is taken and added salt to it.
• Two drops of lime juice is added, In case of iodized salt blue
colour will develop.
• In case of common salt there will be no coloration.
Turmeric powder
• Adulterant: saw dust, lead chromate
• Small amount of sample is taken in a test tube, added few
drops of conc.HCl.
• The pink color is observed, Indicates saw dust.
• The sample is dissolved in dil. HCl. Then H2S gas is passed into
the solution.
• Black precipitate indicates the presence of Lead chromate.
Coconut oil
• Adulterant :other oils
Detection
• A small bottle of oil is placed in a refrigerator.
• Coconut oil solidifies leaving the adulterant as a separate layer.
RICE
Adulterant: plastic rice

8. Artificial colouring agents
Erythrosine (Red No.3)
• cherries in fruit cocktail
• and in canned fruits for salads, baked foods ,
• dairy products , snack foods
Side effects: cancer
Tartrazine (yellow No. 5)
ice cream , carbonated drinks , fish sticks, cake mixes , squashes
Side effects: hyperactivity,asthma,skin rashes, and migraine.
Allura red
carbonated drinks, bubble gum, sauces , soups , wine
Side effects: may worsen or induce asthma, rhinitis,utricaris (hives)
Brilliant blue
dairy products , sweets
Side effects
• hyperactivity and skin rashes .
• Listed as human carcinogen.
• Causes DNA damage and tumours in animals.
PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTERATION ACT,1954
• It came into existence on 1954

9. • The act concerns about public health and safety
• It mainly deals with the following aspects
1. To protect the public from poisonous and harmful foods.
2. To prevent the sale of substandard foods.
3. To protect the interests of the consumers by eliminating
fraudulent practices.
4. The act says that the ministry of health and family welfare
is responsible for ensuring safe food to the consumers.
Fruit Products Order, 1955
Requirements and quality standards
 Sanitary and hygienic conditions of premises.
 Personnel hygiene.
 Portability of water.
 Quality control facility and technical staff.
 Product standards.
 Limits for preservatives and other additives.
Meat Food Products Order, 1973
• The order makes it mandatory for all entities engaged in the
business of manufacturing ,packing, repacking, re-labelling
meat food products for sale to be licensed.
• But, excluded for those who manufacture products for
consumption on the spot, such as restaurants, hotels and so
on.Production of meat is governed by local laws.

10. • Slaughtering is a state subject, so slaughterhouses are
controlled by local health authorities.
Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006
HACCP
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Food Safety Management
System.
It Identifies, Evaluate and Controls Hazards which are Significant for
food Safety.
Seven Principles of HACCP
1. Conduct Hazards Analysis
2. Determine the Critical Control Points
3. Establish Critical Limits
4. Establish Monitoring System
5. Establish Corrective Action
6. Establish Verification Procedures
7. Establish Documentation
CONTROL APPROACHES
• Proper understanding of the adulteration issues.
• By knowing the difference between the natural and aesthetic
attributes [texture, appearance & taste] of foods
• Develop validated simple, quick and authentic test procedures
to scan the ingredients, additives & processing aids for positive
clearance.

11. • Make practically feasible rules, requirements and regulations
on the adulterants and updating them at regular intervals.
• Update of information regarding outbreaks of food safety
issues pertaining to adulteration.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI)
• It was started in 2011, located in New Delhi.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has
been established under Food Safety and Standards Act,2006
AGMARK
• The Directorate of Marketing and Inspection enforces the
Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act, 1937. Under
this Act Grade standards are prescribed for agricultural and
allied products.
• Quality Certification Mark.
• It ensures quality and purity of a product.
• It acts as a Third Party Guarantee to Quality Certified.
• Quality standards for agricultural commodities are framed
based on their intrinsic quality.
REFERANCE

12. • Food chemistry by Alex V Ramani. MJP Publishers Chennai.
• Food Processing Industries by Suresh Chand. Small Industry
Research Institute Delhi.
• Wikipedia.