KENDRIYA vidyalaya o.f.

Bhusawal

SESSION : 2022-23
CHEMISTRY- INVESTIGATORY PROJECT
ON
Study of effect of Potassium
bisulphite as a food preservative

Under guidance of. Made by.

Mrs. Kajal Patil. Chetan SURWADE.
PGT(chemistry) roll no:-
 CERTIFICATE.
THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT MAST.CHETAN SURWADE
STUDYING IN CLASS XII SCIENCE HAS COMPLETED HIS
PROJECT WORK ENTITLED STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF
POTASSIUM BISULPHATE AS A FOOD PRESERVATIVE
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF MRS. KAJAL PATIL AT THE
CHEMISTRY LAB DURING THE YEAR 2022-23 IN THE
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF PRACTICAL EXAMINATION
CONDUCTED BY K.V.O.F BHUSAWAL

PLACE:BHUSAWAL

DATE: / / 2022

SIGNATURE OF TEACHER. SIGNATURE OF PRINCIPAL.

SIGNATURE OF EXTERNAL EXAMINER.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.

I FEEL PRIVILEGED TO EXPRESS MY DEEP

SENSE OF GRATITUDE AND RESPECT TO
PRINCIPAL MR.NITIN KUMAR UPADHYAY TO
PROVIDE LABORATORY FACILITY. I AM ALSO
THANKFUL TO MRS. KAJAL PATIL FOR HER
VALUABLE DISCUSSION, GUIDELINES AND
INSTRUCTIONS, TO MY WORK AND
COMPLETION OF DISSERTATION WITHOUT HIS
GENEROSITY, TEACHING AND INSIGHT, THIS
WORK WOULD NOT POSSIBLE TO BE
COMPLETED. I AM EQUALLY THANKFUL TO THE
SUPPORTING GUIDE MRS. KAMALA MAHAJAN
FOR HER VALUABLE ENCOURAGEMENT AND HIS
KIND CO-OPERATION AND TIMELY HELP. WE
DEEPLY THANK TO OUR FRIENDS FOR THEIR
KINDLY ASSISTANCE DURING WHOLE PROJECT
WORK.
 INDEX.
PAGE
SL.NO. TOPIC NO.
1 OBJECTIVE 1
2 CONCENTRATION EFFECT 2
3 INTRODUCTION 3-4
3 AIM 5
4 APPARATUS REQUIRED 6
5 MATERIALS & CHEMICALS 7
6 THEORY 8-9
7 FOOD PRESERVATION 10
7.1 PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION 11
7.2 METHODS OF FOOD PRESERVATION 12
8 PROCEDURE 13
9 EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION OF SUGAR 14
10 EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION OF KHSO3 15
11 EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE 16
12 EFFECT OF TIME 17
13 RESULTS,CONCLUSIONS&SUGGESTIONS 17-18
14 BIBLIOGRAPHY 19
 OBJECTIVE.
The objective of this project is to study
the effect of Potassium bisulphite as a food
preservative under various conditions.

Concentration

Conditionsz

Time Temperature
CONCENTRATION EFFECT.
Effect of Concentration :-
1) Sugar
2) Temperature
3) KHSO3
4) Time

Sugar

Effect of
Time Temperture
Concentration

KHSO3
 INTRODUCTION.
Growth of microorganisms in a food material can
be inhibited by adding certain chemical substances.
However the chemical substances should not be
harmful to human beings. Such chemical
substances which are added to food materials to
prevent their spoilage are known as chemical
preservatives. In our country, two chemical
preservatives which are permitted for use are:
1. Benzoic acid(or sodium benzoate)
2. Sulphur dioxide(or potassium bisulphite)
Benzoic acid or its sodium salt, sodium benzoate is
commonly used for the preservation of food
materials. For the preservation of fruits, fruit
juices, squashes and jams sodium benzoate is
used as preservative because it is soluble in
water and hence easily mixes with the food product.
Potassium bisulphite used for the preservation of
colourless food materials such as fruit juices,
squashes, apple and raw mango chutney. This is
not used for preserving coloured food materials
because Sulphur dioxide produced from this
chemical is a bleaching agent.Potassium bisulphite
on reaction with acid of the juice liberates Sulphur
dioxide which is very effective in killing the
harmful micro-organisms present in food stuffs
and thus prevents it from getting spoilt.
 HSO3–(aq) + H+(aq) H2O(l) + SO2(g)
The advantage of this method is that no harmful
chemical is left in the food. The Manitoba
Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives reports
that this product works to ‘prevent the growth of
mould, yeast and bacteria in foods. It is also an
additive for homemade wine. Potassium bisulphite
is found in some cold drinks and fruit juice
concentrates. Sulphites are common preservatives
in smoked or processed meats and dried fruits. In
spray form, it may help prevent foods from
discolouring or browning.
 AIM.
The aim of this project is to study the
effect of potassium bisulphite as food
preservative.
1. At different intervals of time

2. For different concentrations.

3. At different Temperature.
APPARATUS.

Requirements
MATERIALS AND
CHEMICALS.
Potassium bisulphite

Requirements
 THEORY.
Food materials undergo natural changes
due to temperature, time and enzymatic
action and become unfit for consumption.
These changes may be checked by
adding small amounts of potassium
bisulphite. The effectiveness of KHSO3 as
preservative depends upon its concentration
under different conditions which may be
determined experimentally. An ideal method
of food preservation has the following
characteristics:-

1.It improves shelf-life and safety by

inactivating spoilage and pathogenic
microorganisms,
2. It does not change organoleptic (smell,
taste, colour, texture, etc.) and nutritional
attributes,
3.It does not leave residues,
4.It is cheap and convenient to apply.
5.It encounters no objection from
consumers and legislators.
 FOOD PROCESSING.
Food processing is the transformation of raw ingredients, by physical or
chemical means into food, or of food into other forms. Food processing
combines raw food ingredients to produce marketable food products that can
be easily prepared and served by the consumer. Food processing typically
involves activities such as mincing and macerating,
liquefaction, emulsification, and cooking (such as boiling, broiling, frying, or
grilling); pickling, pasteurization, and many other kinds of preservation;
and canning or other packaging. (Primary-processing such as dicing or
slicing, freezing or drying when leading to secondary products are also
included.)
Benefits:-Benefits of food processing include toxin removal,
preservation, easing marketing and distribution tasks, and increasing food
consistency. In addition, it increases yearly availability of many foods,
enables transportation of delicate perishable foods across long distances and
makes many kinds of foods safe to eat by de-activating spoilage and
pathogenic micro-organisms. Modern supermarkets would not exist without
modern food processing techniques, and long voyages would not be possible.
Processed foods are usually less susceptible to early spoilage than fresh foods
and are better suited for long distance transportation from the source to
the consumer. When they were first introduced, some processed foods
helped to alleviate food shortages and improved the overall nutrition of
populations as it made many new foods available to the masses.
Processing can also reduce the incidence of food borne disease. Fresh
materials, such as fresh produce and raw meats, are more likely to harbor
pathogenic micro-organisms (e.g. Salmonella) capable of causing serious
illnesses.
The extremely varied modern diet is only truly possible on a wide scale
because of food processing. Transportation of more exotic foods, as well as
the elimination of much hard labourives the modern eater easy access to a
wide variety of food unimaginable to their ancestors.

Drawbacks:-Any processing of food can affect its nutritional density.

The amount of nutrients lost depends on the food and processing method. For
example, heat destroys vitamin C. Therefore, canned fruits possess less
vitamin C than their fresh alternatives. The USDA conducted a study in 2004,
creating a nutrient retention table for several foods.
Principles of food preservation
There are three basic objectives for the preservation of foods:-

1. Prevention of contamination of food from damaging agents.

2. Delay or Prevention of growth of microorganisms in the food
3. Delay if enzymic spoilage, i.e. self – decomposition of the food by naturally
occurring enzymes within it.

The food preservation methods by which the

microbial,decomposition of foods can be delayed or prevented
include:-
1. Restrict access of microorganisms to foods (packaging and aseptic
packaging).
2. Removal of microorganisms (by filtration or centrifugation).
3. Slow or prevent the growth and activity of microorganisms (reduction
in temperature, water activity and pH, removal of oxygen, modified
atmosphere packaging and addition of preservatives)
4. Inactivation of microorganisms (by heat, radiations, high hydrostatic
pressures, ultra sound and pulsed electric fields).

These methods usually are also effective against enzymatic

activity or chemical reactions in the food, responsible for its
self-decomposition. Changes in the requirement of
consumers in recent years have included a desire for foods
which are more convenient, higher quality, fresher in
flavor, texture and appearance, more natural with fewer
additives and nutritionally healthier than hitherto. Food
industry reactions to these changes have been to develop
less severe or minimal preservation and processing
technologies with less intensive heating or use of less
chemical preservatives. However, minimal technologies
tend to result in a reduction in the intrinsic preservation of
foods, and may, therefore, also lead to a potential reduction
in their microbiological safety.. A major trend is to apply
these techniques in new combinations, in ways that
minimize the extreme use of any one of them, and so
improve food product quality.
Methods of Food Preservation.

1. Physical methods of preservation.

The foods to be preserved are physically processed or treated in such a way

that the metabolic activity of microorganisms and their spores either slowed
down or completely arrested. These various physical methods used for the
preservation of foods are as follows.
Asepsis Keeping quality of foods can be increased by introducing as few
spoilage organisms as possible i.e., by reducing the amount of contamination.
In nature, there are numerous examples of asepsis or removal of
microorganisms as a protective factor. The presence of a protective covering
surrounding some foods e.g. shells of nuts, shells of eggs, skin of fruits and
vegetables and fat on meats and fish, prevents microbial entry and
decomposition until it is damaged.

2.Chemical methods of preservation.

In food industries, contamination is prevented by packaging foods in a wide
variety of artificial coverings ranging from a loose carton or wrapping to the
hermetically sealed containers of canned foods. Moreover, practicing
sanitary methods during the processing and handling of foods reduces total
microbial load and thus improves the keeping quality of food. Both flexible.
Many chemicals will kill micro-organisms or stop their growth but most of
these are not permitted in foods; chemicals that are permitted as food
preservatives are listed in Table 5.3.1. Chemical food preservatives are those
substances which are added in very low quantities (up to 0.2%) and which do
not alter the organoleptic and physical-chemical properties of the foods at or
only very little.
Preservation of food products containing chemical food preservatives is
usually based on the combined or synergistic activity of several additives,
intrinsic product parameters (e.g. composition, acidity, water activity) and
extrinsic factors (e.g. processing temperature, storage atmosphere and
temperature).
This approach minimizes undesirable changes in product properties and
reduces concentration of additives and extent of processing treatments.
The concept of combinations of preservatives and treatments to preserve
foods is frequently called the hurdle or barrier concept. Combinations of
additives and preservatives systems provide unlimited preservation
alternatives for applications in food products to meet consumer demands for
healthy and safe food.
Chemical food preservatives are applied to foods as direct additives during
processing, or develop by themselves during processes such as fermentation.
Certain preservatives have been used either accidentally or intentionally for
centuries, and include sodium chloride (common salt), sugar, acids, alcohols
and components of smoke. In addition to preservation, these compounds
contribute to the quality and identity of the products, and are applied through
processing procedures such as salting, curing, fermentation and smoking.
 PROCEDURE.

1) Take fresh fruits, wash them

thoroughly with water and peel off
their outer cover.
2) Grind it to a paste in the mortar
with a pestle.

3) Mix with sugar and colouring

matter.

4) The material so obtained is fruit

jam. It may be used to study the
effect of concentration of sugar and
KHSO temperature and time.
3
(A)Effect of concentration of Sugar:-

1. Take three wide mouthed reagent bottles labeled as I II

III. Put 100 gms of fruit jam in each bottle.
2. Add 5.0 gms, 10.0 gms and 15.0 gms of sugar to
bottle No. I, II and III respectively.
3. Add 0.5 gm of KHSO3 to each bottle.
4. Mix contents thoroughly with a stirring rod.
5. Close the bottle and allow them to stand for one week
or 10 days at room temperature.
6. Observe the changes taking place in Jam every day.
RECORD:-

Bottle Wt. of jam Wt. of Wt. of Observations (Days)

No. taken sugar KHSO3
added 1 2 3 4 5

I 100 gms 5.00 gms 0.5gm NO NO NO Few Few

Chang Change Change Change More
e Change

II 100 gms 10.00 gms 0.5 gm NO NO Few Some Few

Chang Change Change Change more
e Change

III 100 gms 15.00 gms 0.5 gm NO Few Few Some More
Chang Change Change Change Change
e

Result: The increase in concentration of sugar

causes fast decaying
 (B)Effect of concentration of KHSO3 :–

1. Put 100 gm of Jam in each bottle.

2. Add 5.0 gm of sugar to each bottle.
3. Take bottles labeled as I, II, III.
4. Add 1.0 gm, 2.0 gm and 3.0 gm of KHSO3 to bottle No.
I, II and III respectively.
5. Mix the contents thoroughly with a glass rod.
6. Keep all the bottles at room temperature for about 10
days and observe the changes everyday.

RECORD:-

Bottle Wt. of jam Wt. of Wt. of Observations (Days)

No. taken sugar KHSO3
added
1 2 3 4 5

I 100 gms 5.00 gms 1.0gm no no no few some

II 100 gms 5.00 gms 2.0gm no no no no few

III 100 gms 5.00 gms 3.0gm no no no no no

Result: The increase in concentration of KHSO3

increase more time of preservation
(C)Effect of temperature:–

1. Take 100 gm of Jam in three bottles labelled as I, II and

III.
2. Add 10.0 gm of sugar and 2.0 gm of KHSO3 to bottle
No. I, II and III respectively.
3. Mix the contents thoroughly with a stirring rod.
4. Keep bottle No. I in the refrigerator at 0˚C, bottle No. II
at room temperature (25˚C) and bottle No. III in a
thermostat at 50˚C. Observe the changes taking place
in the jam for 10 days.

RECORD:-
Bottle Wt. of Wt. of Wt. of Observations (Days)
No. jam sugar KHSO3
taken
added
1 2 3 4 5

I 100 10.00 2.0gm No No No No No

gms gms change chang change change change
e
II 100 10.00 2.0gm No No No No Slight
gms gms change chang change change change
e
III 100 10.00 2.0gm No No Slight Some Some
gms gms change chang change change more
e change

Result: The increase in temperature causes

faster fermentation of jam.
(D)Effect of time: –

1. Take three bottles and label them as I, II and III.

2. To each bottle add 25 g of Jam and 1 g of potassium
bisulphite.
3. Keep bottle I for 7 days, bottle II for 14 days and bottle
III for 21 days at room temperature.
4. Note the changes taking place in each bottle and
record the observations.

RECORD:-
Observations(Days)
Bottle No. 7 14 21
I No ****** ******

II No Taste ******
changes

III No No Unpleasant smell

develops

Result: With increase of days, the quality of the

jam deteriorates.
 RESULTS,CONCLUSIONS AND
SUGGESTIONS.

From the experiment, we can conclude

thatKHSO3 acts as a viable food
preservative whose increased
concentration can increase time for
preservation. But increase in
concentration of sugar content in the
food material causes fast decaying. Also,
the experiment shows that rate of
fermentation of food stuffs is directly
proportional to temperature conditions.
On passage of time, even in the presence
of KHSO3,the food gets spoiled. Though
potassium bisulphite is a good food
preservative (class II preservative), it can
trigger lung irritation and asthma. So, our
suggestion is that the usage of food
preservatives must be reduced to the
extent possible. Food containing more
amount of sugar is not favorable to keep
for a long time, Potassium bisulphite is a
good preservative.
Uses
There are a number of uses for potassium
bisulfite as a food preservative. The Manitoba
Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives reports
this product works to prevent the growth of
mold, yeast and bacteria in foods. It is also an
additive for homemade wine.
Potassium bisulfate is found in some cold
drinks and fruit juice concentrates. Sulfites
are common preservatives in smoked or
processed meats and dried fruits. In spray
form, it may help prevent foods from
discoloring or browning.

Availability
Potassium bisulfite is primarily a commercial
product. You might find this chemical
compound at meat processing plants.
Manufacturers of juice drinks and
concentrate will use potassium bisulfite to
increase the shelf life of their products. The
preservative is also available for home use.

Allergies
Sulphites such as potassium bisulfite can
trigger an attack for those with asthma.
potassium bisulfite may cause lung irritation.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Reference books:
▪ NCERT CLASS 12 CHEMISTRY BOOKS- PART I, II
▪ NCERT LABORATORY MANUAL- CLASS 12
CHEMISTRY
Reference websites:
Google :-

Website- www.google.co.in
Wikipedia:-

▪ www.ncert.nic.in
▪ www.youtube.com
▪ www.topper.com
▪ www.slideshare.com