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INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
AISSCE: 2014-2015
STUDY OF FOOD ADULTERANTS IN
FOOD STUFF

Name:

Acknowledgement
I am thankful to my school
including my principal for

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guiding me in my work
throughout.
I express my sincere
gratitude and indebtedness to
my teacher for her valuable
guidance, timely suggestions,
constructive criticism and
encouragement throughout the
tenure of my work. I offer my
sincere thanks to her.
At the end I express my
sincere thanks to my parents
and friends.
DECLARATION.
I hereby declare that this
project has been done under
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the proper guidance of our

biology teacher and lab
assistant without any
manipulation.

Teachers sign.

CERTIFICATE OF
COMPLETION

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This is to certify FOR

SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING
THE PROJECT. This is to
certify that of Kendriya
Vidyalaya, Ballygunge has
satisfactorily carried out
the project under my
guidance and authorization,
the report has been
submitted well in time.
Board Roll no:
PGT, BIOLOGY
Kendriya Vidyalaya,
Ballygunge.
Contents
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1.

Abstacts
a) What is food?
b) How an article of food shall
be deemed to be
adulterated?
2. Chapter 1 (Indroduction)
a) Reason behind the study.
b) Statement of the problem.
c) Motive.
d) Significance of the project.
3. Chapter 2: Review Of The
Related
Literature
a) Historical Perspective.
b) Food adulteration- notable
incidents
c) Categories
of
food
adulteration statistics.
d) What is food adulteration?
e) Types of food adulteration.
f) Sources
of
food
contamination.

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g) Food adulteration:
approach

Control

4) Chapter-3 (Methodology)
a) To test the presence of
adulterants in samples of some food
items.
b) To make a survey based on the
eating
habit,
health
and
consciousness related to adulteration
of different families.
c) To make the views and
suggestion of health experts and
doctors experiencing the matter.
5) Chapter-4 (Results)
6) Chapter-5 (Conclusions)
7) Chapter- 6 (Bibliography)

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ABSTRACT
The project mainly deals with the
harmful chemicals and impurities
that are present in our food which
causes several diseases.
What is Food?
Food makes our body work, grow
and repair it. The kind of food you
eat can affect the efficiency of
these processes. Body function
and the food that sustains it is
infinitely complex. Food is in fact
one of the most complicated sets
of chemical imaginable.

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Getting to know which nutrients

are in which foods can help you to
understand something of this
complex relationship between
your food and your body
But now a days people are
having the food which is
chemically treated which causes
several diseases and gradually
lacks our immunity power.
How an article of food shall be
deemed to be adulterated
(a) If it is an imitation of, or is a
substitute for, or resembles in a
manner likely to deceive, another
article of food under the name of which
it is sold, and is not plainly and
conspicuously labeled so as to indicate
its true character;
(b) If it is falsely stated to be the
product of any place or country;
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(c)If it is sold by name which belongs

to another article of food;
(d) If it is so colored, flavored or
coated, powdered or coated, powdered
or polished that the fact the article is
damaged is concealed or if the article
is made to appear better or of greater
value than it really is;
(e) If false claims are made for it upon
the label or otherwise;
(f)If, when sold in packages which have
been sealed or prepared by or at the
instance of the manufacturer or
producer and which bear his name and
address, the contents of each package
are not conspicuously and correctly
stated on the outside thereof within
the limits of variability prescribed
under this Act;
(g) If the package containing it, or the
label on the package bears any
statement, design or device regarding
the ingredients or the substances
contained therein, which is false or
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misleading in any material particular;

or if the package is otherwise
deceptive with respect to its contents.
(h) If the package containing it or the
label on the package bears the name of
the fictitious individual or company as
the manufacturer or producer of the
article.
(i)If it purports to be, or is represented
as being, for special dietary uses,
unless its label bear such information
as may be prescribed concerning its
vitamin, mineral or any other dietary
properties in order sufficiently to
inform its purchaser as to its value for
such uses;
(J)If it contains any artificial flavoring,
artificial coloring or chemical
preservatives, without declaratory
label stating that fact, or in
contravention of the requirement of
this Act or rules made there under;

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(k) If it is not labeled in accordance

with the requirement of this Act or
rules made there under.

Chapter 1
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INDRODUCTION

Reason behind the study.

Statement of the problem.
Motive.
Significance of the project.

Reasons behind the study

We are be started studying about the
food items of todays world i.e. the
green vegetables and fruits. The
doctor always tells us to have
regularly a good variety of veggies
and fruits in our daily diet but before
having this, one has to very careful
enough because there is a lot of
chance that can be seen to the foods
you mostly preferred as being
adulterated.
One is familiar with the famous
saying of one of the past prime
minister describing corruption as
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universal and not confined to India.

Same appear to be true with food
adulteration also. It is surprising that
the fraudsters are always one step
ahead of the safety agencies when it
comes in detecting the adulteration
and their techniques are increasingly
becoming more sophisticated with
time. Food frauds literally constitute
high tech industries because of the
enormous economic gains inherent in
adulteration. Interestingly costlier
the food product, more incentives
are available for evolving appropriate
methods to mimic the original
products with cheap alternatives.
Nowadays artificial colours are being
used to make vegetables look fresh
and chemicals are vigorously used to
ripen the fruits and vegetables, not
only vegetables and fruits but also
many things like spices, dust tea,

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salts, milk and panner need to be

adulterated.
Now a vast network of adulterants in
food sources is making its own
importance in the socioeconomic
cycle of humans.
There are many food products that are
available in the market which can be
cooked instantly and had become an
important part of our daily life like Noor
soups, pasta, noodles, packed spices,
preserved fruits and fruit
Juices but we are unaware that what
kind of chemicals, organic compounds
that are present in them which are
injorrious to our health. Due to this kind
of foods today we are suffering from a
number of diseases.

Statement of the problem

Food is one of our basic needs in our
life. Without food we cannot survive, so
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the things we eat should be pure for a

healthy life. Despite of improvement
inproduction, processing and packaging,
more poisons seem to be entering our
food chain.
Every consumer wants to get
maximum quality of a commodity for as
low a price as possible. This attitude of
the consumer being coupled with the
intension of the traders to increase the
margin of profit, where the quality of
commodity gets reduced through
addition of a baser substance and/or
removal of vital elements also
commonly known as food adulteration.

Motive
1. To make all the peoples aware about
the
harmfull foods and adulteration.
2. To test the presence of adulterants in
the samples of food we generally use.

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3. To make a survey on the basis of the

eating habits and the diseases caused in
their family.
4.To make view and suggestion of health
expert and doctor experiencing the
matter.

Significance of the Project

This is a project which has been
assigned by our biology teacher to
understand that why our life is now is so
full with diseases and now a days
people life are shorting. There are few
diseases like stomach disorder,
diarrhoea, liver disorder, loss of
eyesights power. These all causes, due
to the food that we take as now a days
most of the food are prepared by
poisonous chemicals. This projects main
aim is to detect the adulteration in our
food.

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Chapter 2
Review On The Related Literature

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Historical
Perspective
Food adulteration:
Notable Incideents
Catagories of
Food Adulterants
Statistics
What is Food
Adulteration?
Types of Food
Adulteration
Sources of Food
Contamination
Food adulteration:
Control Approach
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Historical Perspective
The uses of the adulterants has been
common in societies with few legal
controls on food quality and food
quality and/or poor/non existent
monitoring by and/or
poor/nonexistent monitoring by
authorities; sometimes this usage
has even extended to exceedingly
dangerous chemivals and poisons
e.g. Coloring of Cheese(s) with Lead.
Adulterant usages was first invented
in 1820 by the German chemist
Fredrick Accum, who identified many
toxic metal colourings in food and
drinks.
The physician Arthur Hill Hassall later
conducted extensive studies in the
early1850s, which were published in
the LANCET and led to the 1860 Food

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Adulteration Act and subsequent

further legislations.

Food adulteration: notable incidents.

1987: Selling of artificially flavored
sugar water as apple juice
1997: Spraying of water on stored frain
to increase its weight and value.
2007: Mixing of melamine in wheat
gluten in pet foods to produce artificially
inflated results from common tests for
protein content
2008: Mixing of melamine in milk and
infant formula products.
2012: Milk adulteration with detergent,
fat and Urea.

Categories of Food Adulterantion

Replacement:
Complete or partial replacement of a
food ingredient or valuable authentic
constituent with less expensive
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substitute with the intention of

circumventing on origin and false
declaration of the process.

Addition:
Addition of small amounts of nonauthenticated substances to mask
inferior quality ingredient.

Removal:
Removal of authentic and valuable
constituent without purchasers
knowledge.

Statistics.
Food Ingredient Fraud Data Base of Food
Chemical Codex: About 1500 examples
of replacement type, 90 examples of
addition and 1 example of removal
between 1980-2012 from scholarly &
media based reported articles for
ingredient categories:
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1. Cereals, grains, pulses

2. Colors
3. Dairy Products & Milk derivatives
4. Fruit juices, concentrates, jams
5. Functional food ingredients
6. Gums
7.Vinegars
8. Oils
9. Protein based ingredients
10. Sea food
11. Spices
12. Sweetners
13. Wines, musts, spirits, liquors
14. Meats
15. Natural flavoring complex.

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What is Food Adulteartion?

An adulteration is a chemical substance
which should not be contained within
other substances(e.g. food beverages)
for legal or substances(e.g. food,
beverages) for legal or other reasons.
The addition of adulterants is called
adulteration.
Types of food adulteration
Intentional adulteration
Unintentional adulteration
Natural adulteration
Whatever be the causes of this
adulteration in food, it causes
harmful effects and posses sevaral
health problems in humans. There
can be various health hazards like
stomach ache, body ache, abortion,
paralysis etc.

Casualities by Consumers-

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Lack of awareness is one of the

primary reasons for consumers
consuming poison in food.
People consume spices in food with
strong color without checking the
label remain unaware of food grading
and quality certifications.
The best way to be sure of the food
quality, is by checking for grading(s)
like AGMARK and ISI certifications on
the packed foods, & not buys loose
products.

Types of Food Adulteration.

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Sources Of Food Contamination.

The sources of food

adulterants can be:
Food handlers/ Man
Packaging materials
Animals and Birds
Insects
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Rodents
Garbage and Sewage
Air and Dust
Water.

What we can do?

The first option is to buy ISI
marked and branched items even
if they cost extra.

It is advisable to preserve
grocery bills so that concerned
companies can be approached in
the event any branded item is
found to be low quality.
If any food is found to be
intentionally adulterated,
complain about it to food
adulteration in your
city/town/district.

Food Adulteration: Control Approach

Intregated approach
throughout the food chain
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involving all the stake

holders:
Statutory & regulatory authorities
Industry
Scientific community
Consumers& users.
Statutory & regulatory
authorities.
Stipulating the practically
feasible rules, requirements
and regulations on the
adulterants and updating at
regular intervals.
Stringent monitoring of the
implementation.
Regular interactions with the
industry to understand their
concerns

Industry.

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To feel more ethical and moral

responsibility as food business
operator to supply and serve
wholesome food to the soceity.
Regular updates on the
process and allergen related out
breaks in the world.
Risk assesment for all the
ingredients, additive &
processing aids and processing
techniques w.r.t. adulteration.
Frequent testing of vulnerable
ingredients, additive &
processing aids for positive
clearance w.r.t. allergens.
Third party auditing of the
process to indentify existing and
probable lacunae of the system.
Scientific community:
To develop validated simple,
quick and authentic test
procedures to scan the
ingredients, additive &
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processing aids for positive

clearance.
To share the knowledge with the
statutory bodies & industries.

Consumers & users.

Proper understanding of the
adulteration issues.
To know difference between the
natural and aesthetic.
To know difference between the
natural & aesthetic,
attributes[textures, appearance
& taste] of foods and accepting
the natural ones to the extent
possible.

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Chapter-3

Methodology
Experiment- 1
- To detect the presence of adulterants
in fat, oil and butter.
Requirements:- Test-tube, acetic acid anhydride,
conc. H2SO4, acetic acid, conc. HNO3
Procedure:- Common adulterants present in ghee
and oil are paraffin wax,
hydrocarbons, dyes and argemone
oil. These are detected as follows:
1) Adulteration of paraffin wax and
hydrocarbon in vegetable ghee
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Heat small amount of vegetable ghee

with acetic anhydride. Droplets of oil
floating on the surface of unused acetic
anhydride indicate the presence of wax
or hydrocarbons.
2) Adulteration of dyes in fat.
Heat 1ml of fat with the mixture of
1ml of conc. sulphuric acid and 4ml of
acetic acid. Appearance of pink or red
colour indicates presence of dye in fat.
3) Adulteration of argemone oil in
edigible oils
To small amount of oil in a test- tube,
add few drops of conc. HNO3 and shake.
Appearance of red colour in the acid
layer indicates presence of argemon oil

EXPERIMENT:2.
-To detect the presence of
adulterants in sugar.

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REQUIREMENTS:- Test tube, dil HCl, conc. H2SO4.

PROCEDURE:
- Sugar is usually contaminated with
washing soda and other insoluble
substances which are detected as
follows:
1) Adulteration of various insoluble
substances in sugar
Take small amount of sugar in a testtube and shake it with little water. Pure
sugar dissolves in water but insoluble
impurities do not dissolve.
2) Adulteration of chalk powder,
washing soda in sugar
To small amount of sugar in a test
tube, add few drops of dil. HCL. Brisk
effervescences of CO2 show the

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presence of chalk powder or washing

soda in the given sample of sugar.

EXPERIMENT- 3
- To detect the presence of
adulterants in samples of chilli
powder, turmeric powder and
pepper
Requirements:- Test tubes, conc. HCL, dil. HNO3, KI
solution
Procedure:
- Common adulterants presents in
chilli powder, turmeric powder and
pepper are red coloured lead salts,
yellow lead salts and dried papaya
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seeds respectively. They are

detected as follows:
1) Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli
powder
To a sample of chilli powder, add dil.
HNO3. Filter the solution and add 2 drops
of KI solution to the filtrate. Yellow ppt.
indicates the presence of lead salts in
chilli powder.
2) Adulteration of yellow lead salts to
turmeric powder
To a sample of turmeric powder add
conc. HCl. Appearance of magneta
colour shows the presence of yellow
oxides of lead in turmeric powder.
3) Adulteration of brick powder in red
chilli powder.
Add small amount of given red chilli
powder in beaker containing water. Brick
powder settles at the bottom while pure
chilli powder floats over water.
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4) Adulteration of dried papaya seeds in

pepper
Add small amount of sample of
pepper to a beaker containing water and
stir with a glass rod. Dries papaya seeds
being lighter float over water while pure
pepper settles at the bottom.

Chapter- 4
Results.
S.No Experiment.
.

Procedure. Observation.

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Adulteration
of
Paraffin wax
and
hydrocarbon
in vegetable
ghee.

Small amount
of vegetable
ghee is heated
with acetic
anhydride.
Droplets of oil
floats on
surface of
unused acetic
anhydride
indicate the
presence of
wax or
hydrocarbons.
Adulteration Take small
of various
amount of
insoluble
sugar in a test
substances in tube and shake
sugar.
it with little
water.

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Appearanc
e of oil
floating on
the
surface.

Pure sugar
dissolves
in water
but
insoluble
impurities
do not
dissolve.

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Adulteration
of chalk
powder,
washing soda
in sugar.

To small
amount of
sugar in a test
tube, add a few
drops of dil.
HCL.
Adulteration To a sample of
of yellow lead turmeric
salts to
powder, add
turmeric
conc. HCL.
powder.
Adulteration
of red lead
salts in chilli
powder.

No brisk
effervesce
nce
observed.
Indicates
impurities
No
magenta
colour
observed.
Indicates
impurities.
To a sample of No yellow
chilli powder,
ppt.
add dil. HNO3. Indicates
Filter the
impurities
solution to the
filtrate.

Chapter-5
Conclusions

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Selection of wholesome and nonadulterated food is essential for daily life

to make sure that such foods do not
cause any health hazards. 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 food
before purchase makes sure to ensure
absence of insects, visual fungus,
foreign matters, etc. Therefore, due care
taken by consumer at the time of
purchase of food after thoroughly
examining can be of great help.
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 unhygienic place and food being
prepared under unhygienic conditions.
Such type of food may cause diverse
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diseases. Consumptions of cut fruits

being sold in unhygienic conditions
should be avoided. It is always better to
buy certified food from reputed shop.
As per Doctors:Adulteration Cause:1. Cancer-50%
2. Tumor- 25%
3. Heart Diseases-75%
4. Liver Disorder- 100%
5. Joint Pain- 0%
6. Dysentery- 75%
7. Glaucoma-25%
8. Diarrhoea- 100%
9. Stomach Disorder-100%
10.Early loss of eyesight-50%
75% of such types of patients meets the
doctor daily.

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Chapter- 6

Bibliography
Teachers guidance.
Encarta encyclopedia 2009.
www.wikipedia.com
www.answers.com
www.google.com

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