Chemistry Project On Study of Food Adulterants

Original Title:

Chemistry Project on the study of food adulterants

Description:

A project of class 12th on the study of food adulterants and their effects on food

CHEMISTRY PROJECT ON

"STUDY OF ADULTERANTS IN FOOD STUFF"

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the syllabus as prescribed by the CBSE board
of class12th

CERTIFICATE

This is hereby to certify that the original and genuine investigation of the subject matter and the
related data collection and investigation have been completed solely, sincerely, and satisfactorily.
The project title is "Study of Adulterants in Food Stuffs" submitted by– Niyati Sharma is the record of
student work carried out by her under supervision as part of a chemistry project during the
academic session 2023-2024. This is further to satisfy that he has worked genuinely conducting the
experiment and the work put in by him is original and the output of his efforts.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my Chemistry teacher for their able
guidance and support in completing my project. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Principal
Mam "Ms. Priya Jain" for providing me with all the facility that was required.

TITLE:

Study of common food adulterants in food-

INTRODUCTION

Adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the grade of food offered for sale either by mixture
or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient. In the 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. The majority of
adulterants used by shopkeepers are cheap substitutes that are easily available. To prevent the
adulteration of food products by dishonest traders, the government has issued 'The Prevention of
Food Adulteration Act'. The Bureau of Indian Standards is the agency in India that provides the
certificate of reliability to food manufacturers in India.

THEORY
We are very fortunate to be born in a country that is blessed with rich soil, a diversified climate,
many rivers, and the great Himalayas where almost all varieties of fruits, vegetables, cereals, etc. can
be grown. In ancient times, the land was in abundance, the supply of food was more than the
demand and people used fresh food materials in the most natural form. The population spurt in our
country has given rise to unemployment and poverty. The demand for food has increased & our
country has to import food grains, oil, etc. from other countries. This shortage of food and the
ignorance of consumers is the main cause of the adulteration of foodstuffs by unscrupulous traders.
It has become so common that consumers have to run from pillar to pillar to get a foodstuff that is
not adulterated. Consumers are not aware of the hazards of adulteration and pay heavily for
consuming adulterated food. If consumer knows the ways and means to check the commodities of
daily use, they can save themselves and their families from this mind-boggling problem.

SOME OF THE COMMON FOOD ADULTERANTS IN FOOD ITEMS ARE:

EXPERIMENT 1:

AIM:

To test the presence of adulterants in fats, butter & oils.

APPARATUS:

Test tubes, beakers, test-tube stand, filter paper, dropper, etc.

CHEMICALS REQUIRED:

For desi ghee & butter-

conc. HCl, sugar, small amounts of vanaspati ghee, or butter.

For vegetable ghee–

conc. acetic anhydride, and small amounts of vegetable ghee.

For oil –

conc. Nitric acid, small amounts of edible oil.

PROCEDURE:

In the case of ordinary tests for fats, butter & oils, put a small amount of these separately on filter
paper. Fold it & press, then unfold it. The presence of a translucent spot indicates the presence of oil
or fat. Hold the filter paper over a flame, the spot grows larger.

Test for oils:

Take 1 ml of mustard oil in a test tube & add a few drops of conc. HCl solution to it. Shake the
mixture well. The appearance of red color in the acid layer indicates the presence of argemone oil in
mustard oil.

OBSERVATIONS & RESULTS:

EXPERIMENT 2:
AIM:

To test the presence of adulterants in Sugar, Chilli powder, Turmeric powder, salt & Pepper.

APPARATUS:

Test tubes, beakers, test-tube stand, dropper, glass rod, etc.

CHEMICALS REQUIRED:

For sugar–

dil. H2SO4, water, and a sample of sugar.

For chilli powder–

dil. HNO3, KI solution, a sample of chilli powder.

For turmeric powder–

Conc. HCl, a sample of turmeric powder.

For pepper–

Water, a sample of pepper.

For salt-

Water.

PROCEDURE:

1) Tests for Sugar:

(a)Take a small amount of sugar in a beaker &add some amount of water to it. Stir the solution with
a glass rod. Pure sugar dissolves in the water whereas the insoluble particles(chilli powder, washing
powder, etc.) float on the surface indicating the presence of adulterants.

(b)Take 1 g of sugar in a test tube & add a few drops of dil. HCl to it. A brisk effervescence due to the
formation of CO2 indicates chalk powder or washing soda in the given sample of sugar.

2)Tests for Chilli powder:

(a)Take a small amount of chilli powder in a test tube & add a few drops of dil. HNO3 to thetest-
tube. Shake the mixture well & filter the solution. To the filtrate, add 2-3 drops, of 10%

KI solution. The presence of yellow-colored precipitate indicates the presence of lead salts in chilli
powder.

(b)Take a small amount of given red chilli powder in a beaker & add water to it. The Pure chilli
powder floats over the surface of the water whereas brick powder settles at the bottom

3)Tests for Turmeric powder:

4)Tests for Pepper:

Take a small amount of pepper in a beaker &add water to it. Stir the mixture with a glass rod. Dried
papaya seeds float over water &pepper settles at the bottom. Add a little salt to the water. Chalk
powder will settle down.

5) Tests for Salt:

Add a little salt to the water. Chalk powder will settle down.

OBSERVATIONS & RESULTS:

CONCLUSION

The increasing number of food producers and the outstanding amounts of imported foodstuffs
enable the producers to mislead and cheat consumers. To differentiate those who take advantage of
legal rules from the ones who commit food adulteration is very difficult. The consciousness of
consumers has become very crucial. However, how can we expect consequent behavior from them
regarding controversial issues emerging day by day? In addition, ignorance and unfair market
behavior is endangering consumer health. So we need sanctions and judicial penalties with adequate
restraining force to halt this process. We should take some precautions mentioned below.

PRECAUTIONS

By taking a few precautions, we can escape from consuming adulterated products:

1. Take only packed items from well-known companies

2. Buy items from reliable retail shops and recognized outlets.

3. Check the ISI mark or the Ag mark.

4. Buy products of only airtight popular brands.

5. Avoid craziness for artificially colored sweets and buy only from reputed shops.

6. Do not buy sweets or snacks kept in the open.

7. Avoid buying things from street-side vendors.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Book's Name: Laboratory Manual Chemistry, Class XII

Author's Name: B.Bhushan

Year of Publication: 2018

Pages: 188,189,190,191,192.