Adulterants are the substance or poor quality products added to food items for economic and technical benefits. Addition of these adulterants reduces the value of nutrients in food and also contaminates the food, which is not fit for consumption.

Urea: It is added in synthetic milk to raise fat content. It damages intestinal tract and digestive system.

Raw milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, and others that cause foodborne illness, often called “food poisoning.” These bacteria can seriously injure the health of anyone who drinks raw milk or eats products made from raw milk.

Here is a list of most common adulterants in India:

• Milk. A 2012 study conducted by the FSSAI across 33 states found that milk in India was adulterated with diluted water, detergent, fat and even urea.
• Tea/Coffee.
• Wheat and other food grains.
• Vegetables.
• Sweets.
• Honey.
• Dal.
• Spices.

Types of adulterants Sand, marble chips, stones, mud, other filth, talc, chalk powder, water, mineral oil and harmful colour. Pesticide residues, droppings of rodents, larvae in foods. Arsenic from pesticides, lead from water, effluent from chemical industries, tin from cans.

Food adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient.

Test 2 : Detection of dhatura in food grains

1. Take small quantity of food grains in a glass plate.
2. Examine the impurities visually.
3. Dhatura seeds which are flat with edges and blackish brown in colour can be separated out by close examination.
4. Impurities are observed visually in adulterated food grains.

four different types

Adulteration of milk reduces the quality of milk and can even make it hazardous. Adulterants like soap, acid, starch, table sugar and chemicals like formalin may be added to the milk. Generally, water is added to the milk to increase the volume content of the milk.

Milk slip test – Put a drop of milk on a polished vertical surface. If it stops or flows slowly, leaving a white trail behind, it is pure milk. Milk mixed with water or other agents will flow down immediately without a trace.

A simple method to check whether milk is adulterated with water is to place a drop of milk on a slanting surface. If the milk flows freely it has high water content. Purer milk will flow slowly. Adding iodine to a sample of adulterated milk will make it bluish.

If salt which is a sodium salt is added to milk it could interfere with the calcium ions of the calcium-caseinate and thus impede with the curdling, emulsification and / or albumin metabolism of the milk. The colder the milk is, the more difficult it is for the bile liquid to emulsify the milk.