INVESTIGATORY PROJECT ON

The Study on Effect of Potassium

Bisulphite
Session: 2024-25

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Mr. Sanjay Singh Tomar Mohd Arhaan Wasi
Class: XII
Roll no:

1
 Date:_____________

I hereby, certify that the chemistry project is created by me under

the guidance of below mentioned people as a CBSE project for class
XII Board.

This project is based on The Study on Effect of Potassium

Bisulphite. This project is bona-fide piece of work carried
out with the consultation of Mr.Sanjay Singh Tomar.

Mohd Arhaan Wasi

Class XII
Delhi Public School,
Jankipuram, Lucknow

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

In-Charge Signature Examinar's Signature Principal's Signature
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I express my sincere thanks to my instructor
Mr.Sanjay Singh Tomar sir who guided me to the
successful completion of this project. I take this
opportunity to express my deep sense of gratitude
for their individual guidance, constant
encouragement and immense motivation which
have sustained my efforts at all stages of this
project work.
I extend my sincere thanks to my principal Ms.
Neeru Bhaskar ma’am for her support and for all
the facilities provided for the preparation of this
project work.

In the end, I would wish to thank everyone, who

motivated me to continue my work.
 INDEX
PAGE
S.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

Time
Effect of 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:
 Benzoic acid (or sodium benzoate)
 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 is 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- + H+ → H2O + SO2

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

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 (Example- 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
vitaminC than their fresh alternatives.
The USDA conducted a study in 2004, creating a nutrient
retention table for several foods.
New research highlighting the importance to human
health of a rich microbial environment in the intestine
indicates that abundant food processing (not
fermentation of foods) endangers that environment.
Using food additives represents another safety concern.
The health risks of any given additive vary greatly from
person to person; for example using sugar as an additive
endangers diabetics. In the European Union,
only European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
approved food additives (e.g., sweeteners, preservatives,
stabilizers) are permitted at specified levels for use in
food products. Approved additives receive an E number
(E for Europe), simplifying communication about food
additives included in the ingredients' list for all the
different languages spoken in the EU. As effects of
chemical additives are learnt, changes to laws and
regulatory practices are made to make such processed
foods more safe.
 PRINCLIPLES OF FOOD
PRESERVATION
There are three basic objectives for the preservation of
foods:

 Prevention of contamination of food from damaging

agents.
 Delay or Prevention of growth of microorganisms in
the food
 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:

 Restrict access of microorganisms to foods

(packaging and aseptic packaging),
 Removal of microorganisms (by filtration or
centrifugation),
 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).
  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
physico-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 (Example- composition, acidity, water
activity) and extrinsic factors (Example- processing
temperature, storage atmosphere and temperature).
This approach minimises 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 coloring matter.
4) The material so obtained is fruit
jam. It may be used to study the
effect of concentration of sugar and
KHSO3, temperature and time.
 (A)Effect of concentration of Sugar:

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

III. Put 100 gm of fruit jam in each bottle.
2. Add 5.0 gm, 10.0 gm and 15.0 gm 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 sugar Wt. of Observations (Days)

No. taken KHSO3
added 1 2 3 4 5

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

Change Change Change Change More
Change

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

Change Change Change Change more
Change

III 100 gm 15.00 gm 0.5 gm NO Few Few Some More

Change Change Change Change Change

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 sugar Wt. of Observations (Days)

No. taken KHSO3
added
1 2 3 4 5

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

II 100 gm 5.00 gm 2.0gm no No no no few

III 100 gm 5.00 gm 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 gm 10.00 2.0gm No No No No No

gm change change change change change

II 100 gm 10.00 2.0gm No No No No Slight

gm change change change change change

III 100 gm 10.00 2.0gm No No Slight Some Some

gm change change change change more
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 that KHSO3 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 Agricul-
ture, 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 preservat-
ives 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:
Wikipedia:

www.ncert.nic.in