Chemistry

Investigatory
Project

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 Certificate page

This is to certify that MUNESWARANof class XII Aroll no

xxxxxxxxhas satisfactorily completed his chemistry
investigatory project as prescribed by the AISSC course
during the academic year 2012-2013 .

Teacher incharge

Internal examiner External

examiner

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 Acknowledgement:
I would like to sincerely and profusely thank my
chemistry teacher XXXXXXX, PGT (Chemistry) and our
lab attendant for their able guidance and support in
completing my project.
I would also like to extend my gratitude to the principal
XXXXXXXXX for providing me with all the facility that
was required.

Signature of the
candidate

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Topic

Study of
adulterants
in
food stuff

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CONTENTS
1. Certificate
2. Acknowledgement
3. Introduction
4. Theory
5. Activity
 Aim
 Apparatus required
 Procedure
 Result
 Precautions
 Conclusion
6. Bibliography

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Objective

The Objective of this project is to study

some of the common food adulterants

present in different food stuffs.

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Introduction

Food is one of the basic necessities for sustenance of life.

Pure, fresh and healthy diet is most essential for the health
of the people. It is no wonder to say that community health is
national wealth.
Adulteration of food-stuffs was so rampant, widespread
and persistent that nothing short of a somewhat drastic
remedy in the form of a comprehensive legislation became
the need of the hour.
] To check this kind of anti-social evil a concerted and
determined onslaught was launched by the Government by
introduction of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill in
the Parliament to herald an era of much needed hope and
relief for the consumers at large.
About the middle of the 19th cent.chemical and microscopal
knowledge had reached the stage that food substances could
be analyzed, and the subject of food adulteration began to be
studied from the standpoint of the rights and welfare of the
consumer.

In 1860 the first food law framed in the interest of the

purchaser was passed. That law, lacking sufficient means of
enforcement, remained largely ineffective until 1872, when
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administrative officials were appointed and penalties for
violation provided. In the United States the federal Food and
Drug Act of 1906 was the result of a long and stormy
campaign led by Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley.

This law defined food adulteration and the misbranding of

products; it provided regulations covering the interstate
movement of food and penalties for violations.
The 1906 act was superseded in 1938 by the more rigorous
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act administered since 1940 by
the Food and Drug Administration (now within the Dept. of
Health and Human Services).

The FDA is charged with enforcing truthful and informative

labeling of essential commodities, maintaining staff
laboratories, and formulating definitions and standards
promoting fair dealing in the interests of the consumer.

The 1938 act broadened the definitions of adulteration,

misbranding, and lack of informative labeling; it provided for
factory inspections; and it increased the penalties for
violations. It was amended in 1958 and 1962 to define and
regulate food additives and food coloring.
The federal law controls traffic from one state to another
and is supplemented by local regulations that require food
handlers to be licensed, thereby discouraging the spread of
disease; it provides for the inspection by health officers of
meat and other foods, of restaurants, and of dairies and cold

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storage methods. Imported goods that violate the provisions
of the act may be denied admittance to the United States and
if not removed within a given time may be destroyed.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONs

Laws existed in a number of States in India for the
prevention of adulteration of food- stuffs, but they lacked
uniformity having been passed at different times without
mutual consultation between States.
The need for Central legislation for the whole country in this
matter has been felt since 1937 when a Committee
appointed by the Central Advisory Board of Health
recommended this step.

‘Adulteration of food-stuffs and other goods’ is now

included in the Concurrent List (III) in the Constitution of
India. It has, therefore, become possible for the Central
Government to enact an all India legislation on this subject.
The Bill replaces all local food adulteration laws where they
exist and also applies to those States where there are no
local laws on the subject. Among others, it provides for —
(i) a Central Food Laboratory to which food samples can be
referred to for final opinion in disputed cases (clause 4),

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(ii) a Central Committee for Food Standards consisting of
representatives of Central and State Governments to advise
on matters arising from the administration of the Act (clause
3), and
(iii) the vesting in the Central Government of the rule-
making power regarding standards of quality for the articles
of food and certain other matters (clause 22).

ACT 37 OF 1954
The Prevention of Food Adulteration Bill was passed by
both the house of Parliament and received the assent of the
President on 29th September, 1954. It came into force on Ist
June, 1955 as THE PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTERATION
ACT, 1954 (37 of 1954).

LIST OF ADAPTATION ORDER AND AMENDING ACTs

1.The Adaptation of Laws (No.3) Order, 1956.
2. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1964 (49 of 1964).
3. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1971 (41 of 1971).
4. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1976 (34 of 1976).

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 5. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1986 (70 of 1986).

GOVERNMENT MEASURES
To check the suppliers of food from doing so, the
government has passed a stringent act which is known as
preservation of food Adulteration Act.

They has been implemented with the objective of providing

safety to human beings in the supply of food. It covers safety
from risks involved due to contamination of poisonous
elements.

The specification laid down of various foods under the

provisions of PFA Act covers minimum basic characteristics
Of the Products Below which it is deemed to be adulterated
and also covers the maximum limit of contaminant not
considered being safe for human beings beyond a certain
level.

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Precautions :
By taking a few precautions, we can escape from consuming
adulterated products.

1. Take only packed items of well-known companies.

2.Buy items from reliable retail shops and recognized
outlets.
3. Check the ISI mark or Agmark.
4. Buy products of only air tight popular brands.
5. Avoid craziness for artificially coloured sweets and buy only
from reputed shops.
6. Do not buys sweets or snacks kept in open.
7. Avoid buying things from street side vendors.

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Theroy
The increasing number of food producers and the
outstanding amount of import foodstuffs enables the
producers to mislead and cheat consumers.

To differentiate those who take advantage of legal

rules from the ones who commit food adulteration is
very difficult. The consciousness of consumers would
be crucial. Ignorance and unfair market behavior may
endanger consumer health and misleading can lead to
poisoning.

So we need simple screening tests for their detection.

In the past few decades, adulteration of food has
become one of the serious problems. Consumption of
adulterated food causes serious diseases like cancer,
diarrhoea, asthma, ulcers, etc. Majority of fats, oils
and butter are paraffin wax, castor oil and
hydrocarbons. Red chilli powder is mixed with brick
powder and pepper is mixed with dried papaya seeds.

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These adulterants can be easily identified by simple
chemical tests.

Several agencies have been set up by the Government

of India to remove adulterants from food stuffs.

AGMARK - acronym for agricultural marketing....this

organization certifies food products for their quality.
Its objective is to promote the Grading and
Standardization of agricultural and allied commode.

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Aim :
To detect the presence of adulterants in fat, oil and butter.

APPARATUS REQUIRED :
Test-tube, acetic anhydride, conc. H2SO4, acetic acid, conc.
HNO3.

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PROCEDURE
Common adulterants present in ghee and oil are paraffin
wax, hydrocarbons, dyes andargemone oil. These are
detected as follows :

(i) 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 hydrocarbons.

(ii) Adulteration of dyes in fat Heat 1mL of fat with a

mixture of 1mL of conc. sulphuric acid and 4mL of
acetic acid. Appearance of pink or red colour
indicates presence of dye in fat.

(iii) Adulteration of argemone oil in edible oils 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.

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AIM:
To detect the presence of adulterants in sugar.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
Test-tubes, dil. HCl.

PROCEDURE:

Sugar is usually contaminated with washing soda and other

insoluble substances which are detected as follows :

(i) Adulteration of various 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.
(ii) Adulteration of chalk powder, washing soda in
sugar.Tosmall amount of sugar in a test-tube, add few
drops of
HCl. Brisk effervescence of CO2 shows the presenceofchalk
powder or washing soda in the given sample of sugar.

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AIM :
To detect the presence of adulterants in samples of chilli
powder, turmeric powder and pepper.

APPARATUS REQUIRED:
Test-tubes, conc. HCl, dil. HNO3, KI solution.

PROCEDURE:
Common adulterants present in chilli powder, turmeric powder
and pepper are red coloured lead salts, yellow lead salts and
dried papaya seeds respectively. They are detected as follows :
(i) Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli powder To a
sample of chilli powder, add dil. HNO3. Filter the
dilsolution and add 2 drops of potassium iodide
solution to the filtrate. Yellow ppt. indicates the
presence of lead salts in chilli powder.

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 (ii) Adulteration of yellow lead salts to turmeric
powder To a sample of turmeric powder add conc.
HCl. Appearance of magenta colour shows the
presence of yellow oxides of lead in turmeric
powder.

(iii) Adulteration of brick powder in red chilli powder

Add small amount of given red chilli powder in
beaker containing water. Brick powder settles at
the bottom while pure chilli powder floats over
water.

(iv) Adulteration of dried papaya seeds in pepper Add

small amount of sample of pepper to a beaker
containing water and stir with a glass rod. Dried
papaya seeds being lighter float over water while
pure pepper settles at the bottom.

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 OBSERVATION :
EXPT. NO. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION

1. Adulteration Heat small Appearance

of paraffin amount of of oil floating
wax and vegetable on the
hydrocarbon ghee with surface.
in vegetable acetic
ghee. anhydride.
Droplets of oil
floating on
the surface of
unused acetic
anhydride
indicate the
presence of
wax or
hydrocarbon.
2. Adulteration Heat 1mL of Appearance
of dyes in fat fat with a of pink
mixture of colour.
1mL of conc.
H2SO4 and
4mL of acetic
acid.
3. Adulteration To small No red colour
of argemone amount of oil observed
oil in edible in a test tube,
oils add few
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 drops of conc.
HNO3
&shake.
4. Adulteration Take small Pure sugar
of various amount of dissolves in
insoluble sugar in a test water but
substances in tube and insoluble
sugar shake it with impurities do
little water. not dissolve.
5. Adulteration To small No brisk
of chalk amount of effervescence
powder, sugar in a test observed.
washing soda tube, add a
in sugar few drops of
dil. HCl
6. Adulteration To sample of Appearance
of yellow lead turmeric of magenta
salts to powder, add colour
turmeric conc. HCl.
powder
7. Adulteration To a sample No yellow
of red lead of chilli precipitate.
salts in chilli powder, add
powder. dil. HNO3.
Filter the
solution and
add 2 drops
of KI solution
to the filtrate.
8. Adulteration Add small Brick powder

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 of brick amount of settles at the
powder in given red bottom while
chilli powder chilli powder pure chilli
in a beaker powder floats
containing over water.
water
9. Adulteration Add small Dried papaya
of dried amount of seeds being
papaya seeds sample of lighter float
in pepper pepper to over water
beaker while pure
containing pepper settles
water and stir at the bottom.
with a glass
rod.

Result:
The required analyses for adulterants in food
stuffshas been made.

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Selection of wholesome and non-adulterated food is essential
for daily life to make sure that such foods do not cause any
health hazard. It is not possible to ensure wholesome food only
on visual examination when the toxic contaminants are present
in ppm level. However, visual examination of the food before
purchase makes sure to ensure absence of insects, visual
fungus, foreign matters, etc. Therefore, due care taken by the
consumer at the time of purchase of food after thoroughly
examining can be of great help. Secondly, label declaration on
packed food is very important for knowing the ingredients and
nutritional value. It also helps in checking the freshness of the
food and the period of best before use. The consumer should
avoid taking food from an unhygienic place and food being
prepared under unhygienic conditions. Such types of food may
cause various diseases. Consumption of cut fruits being sold in
unhygienic conditions should be avoided. It is always better to
buy certified food from reputed shops.

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Biblography
1. Website
www.wikipedia.org
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com

2. BOOKS:

Comprehensive Practical Manual

Pradeep’s New Course Chemistry
NCERT Class XII

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