CHEMISTRY PROJECT REPORT

2024-25
STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AS A
FOOD PRESERVATIVE UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS

Student Name: Dhigish, Dharun

Class & Section: XII-B
 INDEX
S.No Table Of Contents Page No.

1. Purpose of the project

2. Introduction
3. Description of apparatus used in
this project
4. Food preservation
5. Need for food preservation
6. Principles of food preservation
7. Role of food preservation
8. The procedure of food processing
9. Procedure
10. Study of the effect of concentration
of potassium bisulfite and the effect
of time
11. Study of the effect of temperature
12. Conclusion
13. Safety measures while using
KHSO3 as a preservative
14. Bibliography
 CERTIFICATE:

This is to certify that the Project Report entitled

“Study of the effect of Potassium Bisulphite as a Food Preservative Under Various
Conditions” by Dhigish and Dharun,
Class XII, Section B, Registration no ________, Year 2024-2025
has been completed under my guidance and supervision.

Signature of the Project Guide:

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
This project has given me the golden opportunity

for learning and developing my skills.

I am grateful to Mr., my Project Guide,

for encouraging and motivating me to accomplish my project.

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT:
Let’s break down the purpose and potential aspects of the project:

1. Objective:
○ The primary objective is to understand understanding bisulfite
functions as a food preservative.
○ Investigate its effectiveness under different conditions (such as
temperature, concentration, and exposure time).

2. Research Questions:
○ How does potassium bisulfite prevent spoilage in food items?
○ What impact does temperature have on its preservation
properties?
○ How does varying the concentration affect its efficacy?
○ Is there an optimal exposure time for maximum preservation?

3. Methodology:
○ Conduct experiments using food samples (e.g., fruit juices,
chutneys).
○ Vary conditions (temperature, concentration) and observe color,
taste, and microbial growth changes.
○ Analyze results to conclude.

4. Expected Outcomes:
○ Insights into the effectiveness of potassium bisulfite.
○ Guidelines for its practical application in food preservation.
INTRODUCTION:
WHAT ARE PRESERVATIVES?

Preservatives are substances or chemicals added to various products,

including food, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, cosmetics, and
more. They aim to prevent decomposition caused by microbial growth or
undesirable chemical changes. In the context of food, preservatives help
control and prevent deterioration due to microorganisms (such as bacteria,
yeast, and molds) and other factors. They are vital in ensuring food safety,
extending shelf life, and maintaining quality. These preservatives can be
either naturally sourced or synthetically produced. Some common examples
include natamycin (used in cheese and sausages) and traditional methods
like salting and sugaring for preservation. Ultimately, preservatives protect
the quality of our foods and reduce food waste.

In our country, two chemical preservatives which are permitted for use are:

1. Benzoic acid ( or sodium benzoate i.e. C7H6O2 )

2. Potassium hydrogen sulphite (or potassium bisulphite i.e. KHSO3).

● 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 it is used as a preservative because it
is soluble in water and hence easily mixes with the food product. The
efficacy of benzoic acid and benzoate is thus dependent on the PH of
the food.
 ● POTASSIUM BISULPHITE is used for the preservation of
colorless food materials such as fruit juices, squashes, apples,
and raw mango chutneys. This is not used for preserving colored
food materials because sulfur dioxide produced from this
chemical is a bleaching agent. Potassium bisulfite in reaction with
the acid of the juice liberates sulfur dioxide which is very effective
in killing the harmful microorganisms present in food and thus
prevents it from getting spoiled.

HSO3- (aq) + H+ (aq)→ H2O (l) + SO2 (g)

The advantage of this method is that no harmful chemical is left in the food.
The project aims to study the effect of potassium bisulfite as a food
preservative :

1. At different temperatures

2. At different concentrations and

3. For different intervals of time.

DESCRIPTION OF THE APPARATUS WE
ARE GOING TO USE IN THIS PROJECT
ARE AS FOLLOWS :
1. CONICAL FLASKS – It is a glass laboratory flask of a conical profile
with a narrow tubular neck and a flat bottom, used to manipulate
solutions or to carry out titrations.

2. GLASS ROD – a glass rod is a piece of equipment used to mix

chemicals and liquids for laboratory purposes. After every use of a
glass rod, it is recommended that it should be cleaned to avoid
contamination. It is also used as an aid for transferring the liquid into
the funnel.

3. KNIFE – A knife is a tool with a cutting edge or blade attached to a

handle.

4. APPLE – Apple is a kind of fruit that will help us in making jam in this
experiment.

5. SUGAR – Sugar is nothing but the sweet-tasting, soluble

carbohydrates, which we use in our food sometimes. Simple sugars
are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as
dextrose), fructose, and galactose.

6. POTASSIUM BISULPHITE – It is a chemical compound with the

chemical formula KHSO3. It is used during the production of alcoholic
beverages as a sterilizing agent. It is made by the reaction of sulfur
dioxide and the reaction of potassium carbonate. The sulfur dioxide is
passed through a solution of the potassium carbonate until no more
carbon dioxide is given off. The solution is concentrated and then
allowed to crystallize.
FOOD PRESERVATION:
How can we preserve our food?
We can preserve our food by following methods :
TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES :
● CURING: The earliest form of curing was dehydration or drying.
Smoking and salting techniques improve on the drying process and
add antimicrobial agents that aid in preservation. Smoke deposits
many pyrolysis products onto the food, including the phenols syringol
guaiacol, and cathechol. Salt accelerates the drying process using
osmosis and also inhibits the growth of several common strains of
bacteria. Recently, nitrites have been used to cure meat, contributing a
characteristic pink color.

● COOLING: Cooling preserves food by slowing down the growth and

reproduction of microorganisms and the action of enzymes that cause
the food to rot. 13 Before the era of mechanical refrigeration, cooling
for food storage occurred in the forms of root cellars and ice boxes.
Today, root cellaring remains popular among people who value various
goals, including local food, heirloom crops, traditional home cooking
techniques, family farming, frugality, self-sufficiency, organic farming,
and others.

● FREEZING: Freezing is also one of the most commonly used

processes, for preserving a very wide range of foods. For example,
potato waffles are stored in the freezer, but potatoes themselves
require only a cool dark place to ensure many months of storage. Cold
stores provide large-volume, long-term storage for strategic food
stocks held in case of national emergency in many countries.
MODERN INDUSTRIAL TECHNIQUES :

● PASTEURIZATION: Pasteurization is a process for the preservation

of liquid food. In this method, milk is heated at about 70 °C (158 °F) for
15–30 seconds to kill the bacteria present in it and cooling it quickly to
10 °C (50 °F) to prevent the remaining bacteria from growing. The milk
is then stored in sterilized bottles or pouches in cold places. This
method was invented by Louis Pasteur, a French chemist, in 1862.

● ARTIFICIAL FOOD ADDITIVES: Preservative food additives can

be antimicrobial — which inhibit the growth of bacteria or fungi,
including mold - or antioxidant, such as oxygen absorbers, which
inhibit the oxidation of food constituents. Common antimicrobial
preservatives include calcium propionate, sodium nitrate, sodium
nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, potassium hydrogen
sulfite, etc.), and EDTA.

● BIOPRESERVATION: Biopreservation is the use of natural or

controlled microbiota or antimicrobials as a way of preserving food and
extending its shelf life. Beneficial bacteria or the fermentation products
produced by these bacteria are used in biopreservation to control
spoilage and render pathogens inactive in food. Lactic acid bacteria
have antagonistic properties that make them useful as preservatives.
NEED FOR FOOD PRESERVATION:
Preservation of food is done during the months when food is available in
large quantities and therefore at a large cost. The reasons of food
preservation are as follows :

● One of the reasons of food preservation is to take care of the excess

produce .
● The second reason is that they add variety to our meals.

● Makes transportation of food cheap and easier for us to live and

survive.

PRINCIPLES OF FOOD PRESERVATION:

A good method of food preservation is one that slows down or prevents
altogether the action of the agents of spoilage. Also, during the process of
food preservation, it shouldn’t be damaged. The principles of food
preservation are as follows :

● Removal of microorganisms or inactivating them: This is done by

air, water (moisture), lowering or increasing temperature, and
increasing the concentration of salt sugar, or acid in foods. For the
preservation of green leafy vegetables, the water should be removed
from the leaf so that microorganisms cannot survive. This is done by
drying the green leaves till all the moisture evaporates.

● Inactivating enzymes: Enzymes found in foods can be inactivated by

changing their conditions such as temperature or moisture. One of the
methods for the preservation of peas is to put them in boiling water for
a few minutes. It will inactivate the enzymes present in peas.
ROLE OF FOOD PRESERVATION:
● Eliminates any potential microbiological harm to the consumer.

● Maintains quality of food (sensory perceptions)

● Maintains nutritional value within the food product

PROCEDURE OF FOOD PROCESSING:
PROCEDURE:

● Take 500 g of fresh apples. Wash them thoroughly and peel off the
outer layer. Remove the seeds and crush the apples in a mixer.

● Add about 100 g of sugar and heat the contents slowly for about 10
minutes to prepare the jam.

● During heating keep on stirring the contents.

● Use this jam for performing the following experiments.

STUDY OF EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION

OF POTASSIUM BISULPHITE AND THE
EFFECT OF TIME:

● Add 50 g of jam to each of the four conical flasks .

● To flask A add 0.1 g, flask B 0.2 g, flask C 0.5 g, and flask D 1.0 g of
potassium bisulphate.

● Mix the contents in each flask and leave them undisturbed at room
temperature.

● For some days check for any growth of microorganisms after each day
and record the observations in a table.
OBSERVATIONS :

RESULT :

As the concentration of potassium bisulfite is increased, the growth of

microorganisms appears after more days . The minimum concentration of
potassium bisulfate required for preserving jam is approximately 1 %.
STUDY OF EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE:

● Take three conical flasks and label them as A, B, and C. Add 50 g of

jam to each of the three flasks.

● Add 0.5 of potassium bisulfate to each of the three conical flasks .

● Keep flask A in a refrigerator, flask B at room temperature and flask C

in an oven maintained at a temperature of 60оC, leaving them
undisturbed for a few days.

● Check for any growth of microorganisms after each day and record
the observations.

OBSERVATIONS :
RESULT :
The growth of microorganisms occurs earliest in the flask kept at room
temperature. The preservation of jam by potassium bisulfate is maximum at
lower temperatures (0-5○ C).

CONCLUSIONS OF THIS PROJECT :

This experiment shows us that KHSO3 is a viable food preservative whose
increased concentration can increase the time for preservation. The
fermentation of food present is directly proportional to temperature
conditions.

SAFETY MEASURES WHILE USING KHSO3

AS FOOD PRESERVATIVE :
People with sulfite sensitivity might react poorly to potassium bisulfite. A
sulfite sensitivity usually causes asthma symptoms such as wheezing or
difficulty breathing. Some people may also experience anaphylaxis, which is
a life-threatening allergic reaction. If you have a sensitivity to sulfites, you
should avoid any food that contains potassium bisulfite.

How Does It Work?

When potassium bisulfite is dissolved in water, it forms a sulfurous acid. The
acid lowers the pH of the food, which helps inhibit the growth of harmful
organisms, including bacteria such as E. coli, as well as yeast and mold.
The bisulfite oxidizes and loses some of its antimicrobial power. also
prevents browning or discoloration of food Potassium bisulfite is more stable
than potassium sulfite. In humid conditions, however, the dry salt may
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

● NCERT Class 12 th chemistry

● COMPREHENSIVE practical chemistry class 12

● WEBSITES for reference used in this project are

given below :
○ GOOGLE → www.google.co.in

○ WIKIPEDIA→ www.livestrong.com