CHEMISTRY

INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT
 Food
Adulteration
 Certificate

THIS IS CERTIFIED RAGHAVENDRA.B.M OF CLASS XII A HAS

COMPLETED THE CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
ENTITLED FOOD ADULTRATION.
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE CHEMISTRY TEACHER MRS.
RINKA AP. THE PROGRESS OF THE PROJECT HAS BEEN
CONTINUOUSLY REPORTED AND HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED
CONSISTENTLY
INTERNAL EXAMINER PRINCIPAL EXTERNAL EXAMINER

Mrs. RINKA A.P

Acknowledgeme
nt
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our
respected Principal [Link].
I would take this opportunity to express my sincere
thanks and gratitude to my Chemistry Teacher
[Link].A.P(PGT) for her vital support and
guidance in completing this project.
I would also like to extend my gratitude and thanks to
our lab assistant [Link] for providing me with
all the facility that was required.
 Contents
1. Objective
2. Introduction
3. Theory
4. Experiment 1
5. Experiment 2
6. Experiment 3
7. Experiment 4
8. Experiment 5
9. Observation
10. Result
11. Adulterants & Their Diseases
12. Precaution
13. Conclusion
14. Bibliography
 Objectives
The objective of this project is to study some of the
common food adulteration present in different food
stuffs.
 Introduction
Food is one of the basic necessities for sustenance of
life. Pure, fresh and healthy diet is most essential for
the health of the people. It is no wonder to say that
community health is national wealth.
 Adulteration of food stuffs was so rampant,
widespread and persistent that nothing shout of a
somewhat drastic remedy in the form of a
comprehensive legislation became the need of the
hour.
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.
About the middle of the 19th century chemical
and microscopic knowledge had reached the stage
that food substances could be analyzed and the
subject of food adulteration began to be studied from
the standpoint of the rights and welfare of the
consumers.

Theory
The increasing number of food producers and the
outstanding amount of the import foodstuffs enables
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 would
be crucial. Ignorance and unfair market behaviour may
endanger consumers health and misleading can lead to
poisoning.
So we need simple screening tests for their detected. In
the past few decades, adulteration of food has become
one of the serious problems. Consumption of
adulterated food causes serious diseases like cancer,
diarrhoea, asthma, ulcers, etc. Majority of fats, oils and
butter are paraffin wax, castor oil and hydrocarbons.
Red chilli powder is mixed with brick red powder and
pepper is mixed with fried papaya seeds.
These adulterations can be easily identified by simple
chemical tests.
Several agencies have been set up by the Government
of India to remove adulterants from food stuffs.
AGMARK0 – acronym for agriculture marketing….
this organization certifies food products for their
quality. Its objective is to promote the Grading and
Standardization of agriculture and allied commode.
 Experiment 1
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterations in fat, oil and
butter.
Requirements: Test-Tube, acetic anhydride, conc.H2SO4,
acetic acid, conc.HNO3.
Procedure:
Common adulteration present in ghee and oil are paraffin
wax, hydrocarbons, dyes and argemone oil. These are
detected as follows:
(i) Adulteration of paraffin wax and hydrocarbon in
vegetable ghee. Heat small amount of vegetable
ghee with acetic anhydride. Droplets of oil floating
in the surface of unused acetic anhydride indicate
the presence of wax or hydrocarbons.
(ii) Adulteration of dyes in fat heat 1mL of fat with a
mixture of 1mL of conc.H2SO4 and 4mL of acetic
acid. Appearance of pink or red colour indicates
presence of dye in fat.
(iii) Adulterations of argemone oil edible 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 argemone
oil.

Experiment 2
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterations in sugar.
Requirements: Test-Tube, [Link].
Procedure:
Sugar is usually contaminated with washing soda and
other insoluble substances with are detected as follows:
 (i) Adulteration of various insoluble substances in
sugar. Take small amount of sugar in a test-tube
and shake it with little water. Pure sugars in
dissolves in water but insoluble impurities do not
dissolve.
(ii) Adulteration of chalk powder, washing soda in
sugar. To small effervescence of CO2 shows the
presence of chalk powder or washing soda in the
given sample of sugar.

Experiment 3
Aim: Detection of Khesari Dal in Bason.
Theory: Bason powder is usually adulterated with khesari
dal which contains butyl oxalyl alanine amine(BOAA)
which causes lethargy and ultimate paralysis in lower limbs
of human body on regular consumption.
 The detection of BOAA in beson powder indicates
adulteration of it with khesari dal.
Table for different samples
[Link] Samples Result
1. Open sample Adulteration present
2. Packed sample Adulteration present
Requirements: Test-Tubes, [Link].
Procedure:
To the test-tube 1g of bason sample and 10mL of 70% HCl
added. The content is boiled for some time.

Experiment 4
Aim: Detection of starch on milk.
Theory: Along with water, a very common adulterant of
milk is starch. Milk consist of three basic components which
are as follows:
(i) Water (about 80%)
 (ii) Fat (about 3.5%)
(iii) Solids containing protein, lactose.
(iv) Mineral matters (about 8.5%)
Milk is adulterated with starch to maintain the thickness
of fat extracted milk or diluted milk.
Requirements: Test-Tubes, Iodine solution.
Procedure:
At first 5mL of milk ample is taken in a test-tube and
boiled for 3-4 minutes.
Then it is cooled and 1-2 drops of iodine solution is added to
it and is shaked well.
Appearance of blue colour indicates the presence of starch
in the sample.

Table for difference sample

[Link] Sample Result
1. Amul TAZA Adulterant absent
2. Diary milk Adulterant present
3. Nestle Everyday Adulterant absent
4. Amul Adulterant absent
 Experiment 5
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in sample of
chilli powder, turmeric powder and pepper.
Requirements: Test-Tubes, [Link], dil.HNO3, KI solution.
Procedure:
Common adulterants present in chilli powder, turmeric
powder and pepper are red coloured lead salts, yellow
lead salts and dried papaya seeds respectively. They are
detected as follows:
(i) Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli powder. To a
sample of chilli powder, add dil.HNO3. Filter the
dilute solution and add 2 drops of potassium
iodide solution to the filtrate. Yellow precipitation
indicates the presence of lead salts in chilli powder.
(ii) Adulteration of yellow lead salts to turmeric
powder. To a sample of turmeric powder add
conc. HCl. Appearance of magenta colour shows
the presence of yellow oxides of lead in turmeric
powder.
(iii) 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.
(iv) Adulteration of dried papaya seeds in pepper.
Add small amount of sample of pepper to beaker
containing water and stir with a glass rod. Dried
papaya seeds being lighter float over water while
pure pepper settles at the bottom.
 Observation
Expt. No. Experiment Procedure Observation
1. Adulteration Heat small Appearance
of paraffin amount of of oil
wax and vegetable floating on
hydrocarbon ghee with the surface.
 in vegetable acetic
ghee. anhydride.
Droplets of
oil floating
on the
surface of
unused acetic
anhydride
indicate the
presence of
wax or
hydrocarbon.
2. Adulteration Heat 1mL of Appearance
of dyes in fat with a of pink
fat. mixture of colour.
1mL of
conc.H2SO4
and 4mL of
acetic acid.
3. Adulteration To small No red
of argemone amount of oil colour
oil in edible in a test-tube, observed.
oils. add few
drops of
conc.HNO3
and shake.
4. Adulteration Take small Pure sugar
of various amount of dissolves in
insoluble sugar in a water but
substances in test-tube and insoluble
 sugar. shake it with impurities do
little water. not dissolve.
5. Adulteration To small No brick
of chalk amount of effervescence
powder, sugar in a observed.
washing soda test-tube, add
in sugar. a few drops
of dil. HCl.
6. Adulteration To sample of Appearance
of yellow turmeric of magenta
lead salts to powder add colour.
turmeric conc. HCl.
powder.
7. Adulteration To a sample No yellow
of red lead of chilli precipitate.
salts in chilli powder add
powder. dil.HNO3.
Filter the
solution and
add 2 drops
of KI
solution to
the filtrate.

8. Adulteration Add small Brick powder

of brick amount of settles at the
powder in given red bottom while
chilli chilli powder pure chilli
powder. in beaker powder floats
containing over water.
 water.
9. Adulteration Add small Dried papaya
of dried amount of seeds being
papaya seeds sample of lighter floats
in pepper. pepper to over the
beaker water while
containing pure pepper
water and stir settles at the
with a glass bottom.
rod.

Result
The required analyses for adulterations in food stuffs has
been made.
 Adulterants & Their Diseases
[Link] Food Common Disease
Product Adulterant Caused
1. Black Pepper Dried papaya Stomach
seeds irritation,
liver
damage,
cancer
2. Butter & pure Starch, Food
desi ghee Vanaspati Poisoning
ghee
3. Chilli powder Brick powder, Liver
Artificial damage,
colour stomach
irritation
4. Sugar Fine white Stomach
sand, chalk disorder
powder, rawa

Precaution
By taking a few precautions, we can escape from consuming
adulteration products.
 1. Take only packed items of well-known companies.
2. Buy items from reliable retail shops and recognized
outlets.
3. Check the ISI mark or AGMARK.
4. Buy products of only air tight popular brands.
5. Avoid craziness for artificially coloured sweets and buy
only from reputed shops.
6. Do not buys sweets or snacks kept in open.
7. Avoid buying things from street side vendors.

Conclusion
Selection of wholesale and non-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 visible examination when the toxic contaminations 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. 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 tyres 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 shops.
Bibliography:
 Websites: [Link],
[Link]
 Books: NCERT Class XII, Comprehensive
Practical
Manual