Food adulteration has become very common these days and it is usually done to increase profits by increasing the quantity or bulk of the item. As food adulteration is increasing each day, you should be aware of the tests which can help you identify the presence of common adulterants in food ingredients. Sources:
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Sweet Potato: Sweet Potato is often coated with rhodamine B for colouring its outer surface. This is done to make old potatoes look as good as new.
Rhodamine B is a color additive which has been banned for use in drugs and cosmetics due to its carcinogenic properties. Since rhodamine B is not affirmatively listed as safe in food, it is therefore also effectively banned for use in food.
Coconut Oil:
You can easily spot the fake ones from the real. Just place the coconut oil jar in a refrigerator overnight. If it is pure, the whole thing would freeze.
Honey:
Take a transparent glass and fill it with water. Add a drop of honey to the glass. Pure honey will not disperse in water. If the drop of honey disperses in water, that indicates the presence of added sugar.
There is another method that you can use. Take a cotton wick dipped in pure honey and light with a matchstick. Pure honey will burn. If adulterated, the presence of water or sugar will not allow the honey to burn. If it does it will produce a cracking sound.
Milk:
You can also check milk adulteration by pouring a drop of milk, on a polished slant surface. If the milk flows without leaving a trail, it is adulterated. Normally, pure milk leaves a white trail behind.
Tea:
You can check its presence by sprinkling a teaspoon of tea powder on a moist blotting paper. In case the blotting paper's color changes to orange, red or yellow, artificially colored tea leaves have been added to it.
Color from the pure tea powder is released only when it is added to hot water or milk.
Salt: Salt is another common food which can be mixed with chalk powder for adulteration.
Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a bowl of water. If the solution remains clear then the salt is pure. If it turns white and there are remnants at the bottom, then the salt is adulterated with chalk powder.
Coffee Powder:
You can test the quality of coffee by adding half a teaspoon of coffee powder to a clear glass of water. Stir it for a minute and set aside for five minutes. If you see particles at the bottom, it means your coffee is adulterated. Pure coffee does not settle at the bottom.
Apples: Fruits like apples are usually polished with wax to make them attractive and give them that fresh and shiny look. This wax is in fact very harmful for your health. However there is also a food grade wax which is safe to eat.
Black Pepper: Black Pepper is fairly expensive and a lot of times is mixed with Papaya seeds. They look similar and it becomes very hard to distinguish between the two.
To check add some of the black pepper to a glass of water. If it is pure black pepper, it will settle down at the bottom. In the adulterated black pepper, you will see the papaya seeds floating on the surface of the water.
Red Meat: Red meat is the tastiest and healthiest when it is fresh. Although most packed meats come with a sell by date, it is important to know how fresh they are and you can do this in a couple of ways.
Butter: Butter is something that a lot of you use on a daily basis. You can easily check the quality of butter using these methods.
Mustard Oil: If you are a regular user of healthy mustard oil, then you may want to check its quality. Mustard oil is usually adulterated by adding Argemone oil which is much cheaper and not as beneficial.
To check for the presence of Argemone oil, take a sample of the mustard oil in a clear glass and add a few drops of nitric acid to it. You need to shake it well and heat it up for 2 to 3 minutes. If the colour red appears once it’s heated, it means argemone oil has been added to it.
Mayonnaise: If you are a mayonnaise lover and add it to almost every food to make it taste good, then it’s about time you check its quality, as it may have artificial ingredients which can be harmful to you.
Turmeric Powder: Turmeric is one of the healthiest spices you can add to your food. But a lot of times, artificial color is added to it to enhance its look and color. Don’t worry, it’s very easy to detect.
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