SACRED HEART CONVENT SCHOOL

CHEMISTRY PROJECT
CLASS: 12
2025-2026
Topic: Study of Common Adulterants in Fat, Oil, Butter,
Sugar, Turmeric Powder, Chilli Powder and Pepper.

Submitted By: Aarav Jain Submitted To: Mrs. Monika Jain

Class: 12 Non-Medical (Department of Chemistry)
Board Roll No. :
INTRODUCTION:

o Adulteration in food is normally present in its most crude form,

prohibited substances are either added or partly or wholly substituted.
o Normally the contamination/adulteration in food is done either for
financial gain or due to carelessness and lack in proper hygienic
condition of processing, storing, transportation and marketing.
o This ultimately results:
o The consumer is either cheated or often become victim of diseases.
Such types of adulteration are quite common in developing countries
or backward countries.
o It is equally important for the consumer to know the common
adulterants and their effect on health.
 THEORY:

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 behaviour 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. 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 commodities.

FSSAI – Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous
body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,
Government of India. The FSSAI has been established under the Food Safety
and Standards Act, 2006 which is a consolidating statute related to food
safety and regulation in India.
 Food adulteration can lead to slow poisoning and various kinds of
diseases, which can even result in death. Adulteration makes the food
items used in our daily life unsafe and unhygienic for use. An easy
example of food adulteration is vanaspati ghee in desi ghee.

 The traders use it for their economic benefit without thinking about its
effect on the common population of our country, which consumes it.
For preventing it our government has made some certain commissions
and laws. Still it prevails in our country on large scale.

 Project Report Adulteration in Food Items: Adulteration should be

checked properly in common food items to save people from its bad
effects. Adulteration is the government and we for the common people
therefore something should do a type of curse against it.
 Types of Food Adulteration:

In India, the most common type of food adulterations is of following types:

1. Milk: - It is adulterated by the addition of water, starch, skim milk

powder and removal of cream.

2. Ghee: - It is adulterated with vanaspati and animal fats such as

pig's fat. In order to improve the flavor of adulterated ghee
tributyrin is added.

3. Cereals: - Rice and wheat are mixed with stones sand grit and
mud to increase the bulk.

4. Flour: - Wheat flour is mixed with soapstone and Bengal gram

flour is adulterated with Kesari dal or lathyrus flour.

5. Pulses: - They are adulterated with Kesari Dal stones are added
to pulses such as mott urad, and masoor. Toxic chemical such as
metanil yellow are added to old stocks of pulses to improve their
colour appearance.

6. Edible Oil: - They are mixed with cheaper oil, toxic oil (e.g.
argemone oil) and mineral oil.

7. Honey: - It is adulterated with sugar and jaggery.

 Procedure for detection the Adulteration in the
food Items:

Adulteration in the food material can be detected in the following

ways.

1. Vanaspati in Ghee: - Took one tea spoon full of liquid ghee. Added
equal quantity of conc. HCl shook this mixture in a test tube. Now
added a pinch of common sugar. Shook it well for about one minute
and then allowed it to stand for 5 minute and observed the result.

2. Water in milk sample: - Put a drop of sample milk on a plain slide.

Title the slide and observed the result.

3. Argemone oil in edible oil: - Took some amount of edible oil in a

test tube. Poured 3-4 drops of concentrated nitric acid. Shook it well
and observed the result.

4. Metanil yellow in Dal: - Took 5 grams of sample. Add 5ml of water

and a few drops of dil. HCl and observed the result.

5. Black Pepper: - Add some Black Pepper to a glass of water, pure

black pepper will sink in water and adulterants will float on water.
 Hazardous Effects of Adulterants:

S.no Food Articles Adulterants Diseases

Caused
1. Yellow Dal Metanil Yellow Paralysis, Liver
Damage

2. Black Pepper Dried Seeds of Papaya Cancer, Liver

Damage
3. Butter/Pure Ghee Starch, Animal Fat Stomach Irritation

4. Cereals- Wheat and Rice White Mud Stomach Disorder

5. Milk Water + Starch Stomach Disorder

6. Turmeric Metanil Yellow + Anaemia, Paralysis,

Starch, Lead Chromate Brain Damage

7. Honey Jaggery and Sugar Stomach Disorder,

Bad for Diabetics

8. Coriander Powder Horse Dung Stomach Disorder

9. Mustard Seeds Argemone Seeds Dropsy

10. Saffron Dried Tendrils Cancer

 EXPERIMENT 1:
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in fat, oil and butter.
Requirements: Test-tube, acetic anhydride, conc. H2SO4, acetic acid,
conc. HNO3.
Procedure: Common adulterants present in ghee and oil are paraffin
wax, hydrocarbons, dyes and argemone oil. These are detected as
follows:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.
 EXPERIMENT 2:
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in sugar
Requirements: Test-tubes, dil. HCl
Procedure: Sugar is usually contaminated with washing soda and
other insoluble substances which are detected as follows:

1. 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.

2. Adulteration of chalk powder, washing soda in sugar To small

amount of sugar in a test-tube, add few drops of dil. HCl. Brisk
effervescence of CO2 shows the presence of chalk powder or
washing soda in the given sample of sugar.
 Experiment 3:
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in samples of chilli powder,
turmeric powder and pepper.
Requirements: 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:

1. Adulteration of red lead salts in chilli powder to a sample of chilli

powder, add dil. HNO3. Filter the solution and add 2 drops of
potassium iodide solution to the filtrate. Yellow ppt. indicates the
presence of lead salts in chilli powder.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.
 Result:

EXPT. NO. EXPERIMENT PROCEDURE OBSERVATION

1. Adulteration of paraffin Heat small amount of vegetable Appearance of oil

wax and hydrocarbon in ghee with acetic anhydride. Droplets floating on the
vegetable ghee of oil floating on the surface of surface.
unused acetic anhydride indicate the
presence of wax or hydrocarbon.
2. Adulteration of dyes in fat Heat 1mL of fat with a mixture of Appearance of pink
1mL of conc. H2SO4 and 4mL of colour
acetic acid
3. Adulteration of argemone To small amount of oil in a test tube, No red colour
oil in edible oils add few drops of conc. HNO3 & observed
shake
4. Adulteration of various Take small amount of sugar in a test Pure sugar dissolves
insoluble substances in tube and shake it with little water. in water but insoluble
sugar impurities do not
dissolve.
5. Adulteration of chalk To small amount of sugar in a test No brisk
powder, washing soda in tube, add a few drops of dil. HCl. effervescence
sugar observed
6. Adulteration of yellow To sample of turmeric powder, add Appearance of
lead salts to turmeric conc. HCl magenta colour
powder
7. Adulteration of red lead To a sample of chilli powder, add No yellow ppt
salts in chilli powder dil. HNO3. Filter the solution and
add 2 drops of KI solution to the
filtrate
8. Adulteration of brick Add small amount of given red chilli Brick powder settles at
powder in chilli powder powder in a beaker containing water the bottom while pure
chilli powder floats
over water
9. Adulteration of dried Add small amount of sample of Dried papaya seeds
papaya seeds in pepper pepper to beaker containing water being lighter float over
and stir with a glass rod water while pure
pepper settles at the
bottom
 Conclusion:

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
shop.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1.Https://nsdl.niscair.res.in/jspui/

2.Http://www.ext.colostate.edu/