CHEMISTRY

INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT

ADULTERANTS IN
FOOD STUFF

DONE BY-
INDEX
SERIAL PAGE
TOPIC
NO. NO.

1 Acknowliedgement 1

2 Introduction 2

3 Types Of Adulterations 3

4 Government and Laws 5

FSSAI Guidelines and

5 6
Rules

6 Experiment-1 7

7 Experiment-2 10

8 Observation-1 12

9 Observation-2 13

10 Bibliography 14
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude to my

physics teacher Mrs. Ganga provided me with
valuable advice and suggestions to improve my
experiment. I thank our classmates and our
laboratory assistant
Mrs. in developing my project
and to every individual who made ways to
help me with the project.
GGG

I would like to express our profound gratitude

to our school principal and for our school for
giving the exposure required for making the
project.

Lastly, I am grateful to my parents and my

friends for their unwavering support
throughout this project

1
 INTRODUCTION
Adulterants in food are
substances added to food
products to increase
quantity and reduce
production costs, often at
the expense of quality and
safety. These additives can
be intentional, such as
adding water to milk or
chalk to flour, or
unintentional, like
pesticide residues or metal
contaminants. Common
adulterants include
chemicals, dyes, and non-
food-grade ingredients that
can pose significant health
risks. Consuming
adulterated food can lead
to acute poisoning,
chronic illnesses, and
allergic reactions.

Regulatory bodies worldwide, such as the FDA in the United

States and the FSSAI in India, work to detect and prevent food
adulteration through stringent standards and frequent inspections.
However, despite these efforts, food adulteration remains a global
concern, emphasizing the need for consumer awareness and robust
food safety practices. Understanding and identifying adulterants is
crucial for maintaining public health and ensuring the integrity of
the food supply chain.
2
 TYPES OF ADULTERANTS IN FOOD

1. Intentional Adulterants: Added deliberately to increase profit

margins, such as water in milk, starch in spices, or chalk powder in
flour.
2. Metallic Adulterants: Harmful metals like lead, arsenic, or
mercury, which may be added or contaminate food during
processing.
3. Chemical Adulterants: Harmful chemicals, including
preservatives, coloring agents, or artificial sweeteners not approved
for consumption.
4. Biological Adulterants: Microorganisms or biological substances
like bacteria, fungi, or parasites that contaminate food.
5. Packaging Adulterants: Contaminants from packaging materials,
such as plasticizers, which can leach into food products.

3
GGG

4
 GOVERNMENTS MEASURES
Food adulteration poses serious health risks, prompting
governments to take measures in legislation, enforcement,
public awareness, and international cooperation. In India, the
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plays a
crucial role. Key initiatives include:
Food Safety Standards: Establishing rigorous standards for
contaminants and additives.
Regular Inspections and Testing: Conducting inspections
and using advanced lab techniques to detect adulteration.
Penalties: Imposing severe penalties for violations.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Educating consumers on
identifying adulterated food and promoting safe practices.
Training Programs: Providing GGG training for food handlers

on safety protocols.

LAWS
The Adaption of Laws (No.3) Order , 1956
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act , 1971 (41 of 1971)
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act , 1964 (49 of 1964)
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act , 1976 (34 of 1976)
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act , 1986 (70 of 1986)
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 6
FSSAI GUIDELIENES AND
RULES FOR FOOD SAFETY
MEAT RETAIL GGG FRUITS RETAIL
STORAGE MILK RETAIL RETAIL STORE
 EXPERIMENT-1
AIM
To detect the presence of adulterants in fat ,oil

REQUIREMENTS
Test tube , conc. HCL , furfural , acetic anhydride ,
conc. , acetic acid , conc.

PROCEDURE
1.ADULTERATION OF VEGETABLE
GGG GHEE IN DESI GHEE

( BANDOIUN TEST)
Take small amount of desi ghee in a test-tube and add to
it 1 ml of HCI and 2-3 drops of 2% alcoholic solution of
furfural. Shake the contents vigorously. Appearance of
red colour in the acid layer shows that vegetable ghee
has been mixed as an adulterant to desi ghee.

2 .ADULTERATION OF PARAFFIN WAX AND

HYDROCARBON IN VEGETABLE GHEE
Heat small amount of vegetable ghee with acetic
anhydride. Droplets of oil floating on the surface of
unused acetic anhydride indicates the presence of
wax or hydrocarbon.
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3 .ADULTERATION OF DYES IN FATS
Heat 1 ml of fat with a mixture of 1 ml of conc,
sulphuric acid and 4 ml of acetic acid.
Appearance of pink or red colour indicates
presence of dye in fat.

4 .ADULTERATION OF ARGEMONE OIL IN EDIBLE OIL

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.

GGG

8
 TESTS
FOR FATS AND OIL
EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION
NO.

HEAT 1mL OF FAT

WITH A MIXTURE OF
ADULTERATION OF APPEARANCE OF
1 1mL OF
DYES IN FATS PINK COLOUR
CONC.H2SO4 AND
4mL OF ACETIC ACID

DROPLETS OF OIL
FLOATING ON THE
ADULTERATION OF HEAT SMALL
SURFACE OF ACETIC
PARAFFIN WAX OR AMOUNT OF GHEE
2 ANYHDRIDE
HYDROCARBON IN GGG
WITH ACETIC
INDICATES PRESENCE
VEGETABLE OIL ANHYDRIDE
OF WAX OR
HYDROCARBON

1mL OF HCL AND 2-3

DROPS OF 2%
ALCOHOLIC
ADULTERATION OF SOLUTION OF APPEARENCE OF RED
3 VEGETABLE GHEE FURFURAL IS ADDED COLOUR IN THE ACID
IN DESI GHEE TO A TEST TUBE LAYERS CAN BE SEEN
CONTAINING SMALL
AMOUNT OF DESI
GHEE

TO SMALL AMOUNT
APPEARANCE OF RED
OF OIL IN A TEST
ADULTERATION OF COLOUR IN THE ACID
TUBE , ADD FEW
4 ARGEMONE OIL IN LAYER INDICATES
DROPS OF
EDIBLE OIL PRESENCE OF
CONC.HNO3 AND
ARGEMONE OIL.
SHAKE

9
 EXPERIMENT-2
AIM
To detect the presence of adulterants in sugar

REQUIREMENTS
Test tube , dil. HCL , alcoholic solution of α-naphthanol
, conc.

PROCEDURE
1.ADULTERATION OF VARIOUS
GGG INSOLUBLE SUBSTANCES IN

SUGAR

Take small amount of sugar in a test-tube 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 HCl. brisk effervescence of CO2 shows
the presence of chalk powder or washing soda in
the given sample of sugar

10
 TESTS
FOR SUGARS
EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION
NO.

ADULTERATION OF PURE SUGAR

SMALL AMOUNT OF
VARIOUS DISSOLVES IN WATER
1 SUGAR IN A TEST
SUBSTANCES IN BUT INSOLUBLE
TUBE , ADD WATER
SUGAR IMPURITIES DO NOT

BRISK EFFERVENCE OF
ADULTERATION OF TO SMALL AMOUNT
CO2 SHOWS THE
CHALK POWDER , OF SUGAR IN A TEST
2 PRESENCE OF CHALK
WASHING SODA TUBE ADD FEW
POWDER OR
IN SUGAR DROPS OF DIL. HCL
WASHING SODA
GGG

11
 OBSERVATION
FOR FATS AND OIL
EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION
NO.

HEAT 1mL OF FAT

WITH A MIXTURE OF
ADULTERATION OF
1 1mL OF
DYES IN FATS
CONC.H2SO4 AND
4mL OF ACETIC ACID

ADULTERATION OF HEAT SMALL

PARAFFIN WAX OR AMOUNT OF GHEE
2
HYDROCARBON IN WITH ACETIC
VEGETABLE OIL ANHYDRIDE
GGG

1mL OF HCL AND 2-3

DROPS OF 2%
ALCOHOLIC
ADULTERATION OF SOLUTION OF
3 VEGETABLE GHEE FURFURAL IS ADDED
IN DESI GHEE TO A TEST TUBE
CONTAINING SMALL
AMOUNT OF DESI
GHEE

TO SMALL AMOUNT
OF OIL IN A TEST
ADULTERATION OF
TUBE , ADD FEW
4 ARGEMONE OIL IN
DROPS OF
EDIBLE OIL
CONC.HNO3 AND
SHAKE

[DONE IN LAB]
12
 OBSERVATION
FOR SUGARS
EXPERIMENT
EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION
NO.

ADULTERATION OF
SMALL AMOUNT OF
VARIOUS
1 SUGAR IN A TEST
SUBSTANCES IN
TUBE , ADD WATER
SUGAR

ADULTERATION OF TO SMALL AMOUNT

CHALK POWDER , OF SUGAR IN A TEST
2
WASHING SODA TUBE ADD FEW
IN SUGAR DROPS OF DIL. HCL
GGG

[DONE IN LAB]
13
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
https://www.fssai.gov.in/

https://byjus.com/biology/food-
adulteration/

https://www.vedantu.com/biology/food-
adulteration
GGG

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/fo
od-science/food-
adulteration#:~:text=Food%20adulteration
%20refers%20to%20the,of%20a%20given
%20food%20product.

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