See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/322759028

Detection of food adulterants in chilli, turmeric and coriander powders by

physical and chemical methods

Article  in  Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology · September 2017

DOI: 10.5958/0974-360X.2017.00542.X

CITATIONS READS

3 32,873

3 authors:

Sourish Sen Partha sarathi Mohanty

VIT University VIT University
1 PUBLICATION   3 CITATIONS    4 PUBLICATIONS   3 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Suneetha Vuppu
VIT University
140 PUBLICATIONS   570 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Developing new strain of chlamydia tracomatis View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Partha sarathi Mohanty on 11 April 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 10(9): September 2017

ISSN 0974-3618 (Print) www.rjptonline.org

0974-360X (Online)

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Detection of Food Adulterants in Chilli, Turmeric and Coriander Powders

by Physical and Chemical Methods
Sourish Sen, Partha Sarathi Mohanty and Suneetha V
School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India-632014
*Corresponding Author E-mail: vsuneetha@vit.ac.in,8455803582

ABSTRACT:
This study on “detection of food adulterants in chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder using
physical and chemical methods.” Was conceived and carried out with the objective of identifying the presence of
adulteration in chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder (the major spices used for cooking in
India). Various samples of the above mentioned spices were collected from Vellore .Both branded and
unbranded samples were selected for the study to determine the adulteration levels and the qualitative difference
between them. The tests were carried out by chemical analysis in a majority of products and through visual
inspection in few of the products. After the tests, the products containing adulterants were identified in branded
and unbranded food products. This study is attempted to bring in awareness to the public on the important
subject of food adulteration and various simple methods available to detect food adulteration.

KEYWORDS: Food, adulteration, spices, branded and unbranded samples, awareness.

INTRODUCTION: Preparation of chilli powder

Food is one of the basic necessities of life. Any
individual spends a lot of money on food.[4] But at the
end of the day he finds that he is eating dyes, stones,
brick, dung and other contaminate matter. The act of
intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale
either by the admixture or substitution by inferior
substances or by the removal of some valuable
ingredient is known as adulteration.[1][3] . Adulteration in
foods decrease our moral and social value. According to
Beckman a leading food researcher, in our daily life
there are so many unhygienic and contaminated things
which are harmful to our health. When these things enter
our body (in the form of adulterants) through the food
we eat, many harmful diseases like Cancer are caused.
Some diseases caused by adulterants in the spices we
dealt with in this project are listed in table-1.Our study
shows that almost all the samples we collected from
Vellore local market contain some adulteration.[2][3]

Received on 08.03.2017 Modified on 20.03.2017

Accepted on 25.03.2017 © RJPT All right reserved
Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2017; 10(9): 2017 951-958.
DOI: Figure 1.1

1
 Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 10(9): September 2017

Preparation of turmeric powder- Table-1 Disorders caused due to adultered chilli, turmeric and
coriander
Spices Adulterant Disease/disorder
A. Chilli powder Brick Stomach disorder
Lead soluble salts Metal toxicity, Cancer, Lead
poisoning
Rodamine B Cancer
Oil soluble tar Heart disease, damage to
liver, tumor
B. Turmeric Aniline dye Cancer
Powder
Yellow lead salts Cancer
Metanil Yellow Cancer, toxicity
Chalk Indigestion
Tapioca starch Stomach disorder
C. Coriander Common salt High blood pressure
powder
Dung Stomach problem

METHODOLOGY:
The methods adopted for detection of adulterants are
given below-
8 random samples are collected and the following
methods are referred to check adulteration

CHILLI POWDER:
a. To detect the presence of red lead salts:
Dilute nitric acid is added to the sample of chilli powder.
The solution is filtered. Next 2 drops of Potassium
Figure 1.2 Iodide is added to the filtrate. Formation of yellow
coloured precipitate indicates the presence of red lead
Preparation of coriander powder: salts.
Figure 1.3
b. To detect the presence of oil soluble coal tar:
2 g of chilli powder is taken in a test tube. Few ml of
ether solvent is added and the test tube is shaken well.
Ether layer is decanted into a test tube containing 2 ml of
dilute Hydrochloric acid. It is shaken properly.[1]Distinct
pink to red colour of the lower acid layer will indicate
the presence of oil soluble coal tar.

c. To detect the presence of brick powder:

Chilli powder is added in a beaker containing water.
Brick powder settles down while pure chilli powder
floats. [1]

d. To detect the presence of Rodamine B:

2 g of chilli powder is taken in a test tube.5 ml of
acetone is added. Immediate red colouration indicates
the presence of Rodamine B.

2
 Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 10(9): September 2017

CORIANDER POWDER:
a. To detect the presence of dung powder:
Soak a sample of coriander powder in water.
Dung/sawdust will float and can easily be detected by its
foul smell.

b. To detect the presence of common salt:

A sample of coriander powder is taken. To it 5 ml of
water is added. Next few drops of silver nitrate is added
to it. White precipitate confirms presence of salt.

Figure 2

TURMERIC POWDER:
a. To detect the presence of yellow lead salts
2 g of turmeric powder is taken in a test tube. Conc.
Hydrochloric acid is added to it. Magenta colouration
indicates presence of yellow oxides of lead.
b. To detect the presence of chalk:
2 g of turmeric powder is taken in a test tube. Few drops
of water and then few drops of Hydrochloric acid is
added to it. Effervescence will indicate the presence of
chalk.
Figure 4
c. To detect the presence of Metanil yellow:
A sample of turmeric powder is taken. To it 13N STREAKING OF CULTURE MEDIA:
sulphuric acid is added. Disappearance of red colour on Chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder
adding distilled water indicates the presence of metanil samples are taken. All the three spices belong to the
yellow.[1] same brand. After media preparation and its
solidification streaking is done.
d. To detect the presence of aniline dyes:
To a sample of turmeric powder few drops of water is
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
added. To it 5 ml of spirit is added. Immediate
CHILLI POWDER:
disappearance of yellow colour indicates the presence of
1 Samples- 1,5 and 7 do not contain lead .
aniline dye.
2. All the samples contain brick powder. Among them
e. To detect the presence of starch of maize, wheat sample -6 has maximum amount of brick powder.
and rice 3. The 3rd sample contains oil soluble tar.
Microscopic view reveals that pure turmeric is yellow in 4. Samples-8,2,5 and 1 contain no rodamine b.
colour and bigger in size.

Figure 3 Figure 5

3
 Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 10(9): September 2017

Figure 10
Figure 6
CORIANDER POWDER:
1. Dung is present as an adulterant only in the first
sample.

After 24 hrs. pf incubation, growth of bacterial colonies

is observed in cultures containing chilli and coriander
powder.

Figure 7
TURMERIC POWDER:
1 Sampe-1 contains yellow lead salts
2 Sample -1 contains chalk as adulterant
3 5th sample contains metanil yellow as adulterant
4 None of the samples contain aniline dyes
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
All the authors express their heartiest gratitude to Dr. G
Viswanathan, honorable Chancellor, VIT University for
his encouragement, support and for providing good lab
facilities to carry out this research work.
CONCLUSION:
Adulterated food not only consists of the physical
adulterated particles other than food, but it also hosts
pathogens which can cause harmful diseases.
Adulterated food causes both physical and mental
disorders along with malnutrition. Hence we must avoid
eating such food. Also the government needs to take
necessary actions against the companies and individuals
who for the sake of their own profit are manufacturing
and selling adulterated products to consumers.

REFERENCES:
1. Abhirami S. and R. Radha; Detection of food adulteration in
selected food items procured by homemaker; International
Journal of Recent Scientific Research. 6, , 8,.5; 2015:5938-5943
2. f. tateoandm.bononi; fast determination of sudan i by hplc/apci-
ms in hot chilli, spices, and oven-baked foods;journal of
Figure 8
agriculture and food chemistry;52 (a); 2004:655-658.
3. Annie S. Living stone Jian, J et al; Development and nutritional
quality evaluation of weaning foods based on malted, popped and
roller dried wheat and chickpea; International Journal of Food
Science and Technology,.28;2007:35–43.
4. Sonika Sharma, Nikita Goel, Pratibha Paliwal (Bhatele);
Evaluation of Adulterants in Food by Different Physico-Chemical
Method; International Journal for Scientific Research and
Development| Vol. 4, Issue 11, 2017:0613-2321
5. Molan, P. C; Authenticity of honey; Journal of Food and
Technology; 1996:.259-303.
.

Figure 9

View publication stats