PM SHRI KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA NO.2 JAMMU CANTT .

CHEMISTRY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

Study Of Adulterants in Food Stuff
Submitted By:

Name : Kartik Pandita

Class : XII ‘B’
Roll No : 13
SESSION : 2024 – 2025
Under the Guidance of:
Mr. Surinder Kumar
PGT(Chemistry)
PM SHRI K.V.NO.2 JAMMU CANTT.

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Mr. Kartik Pandita
has completed the chemistry
investigatory project entitled “STUDY
of ADULTERANTS in FOOD STUFF ”, for
CBSE 2025 Chemistry Practical as per
CBSE norms. Under the guidance of
Mr. Surinder Kumar PGT(Chemistry)
K.V.NO.2 Jammu Cantt.

The data mentioned in the project are

based on his original finding
experimentally determined in
Chemistry Laboratory in K.V.NO.2
Jammu Cantt.
Mr. Sunil Kumar Yadav Mr.
Surinder Kumar
Principal PGT
chemistry
KVNO.2
K.V.NO.2 Jammu
Jammu Cantt. Cantt.

External Examiner

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 I would like to express my special
thanks of gratitude to my chemistry
teacher,
Mr. Surinder Kumar,
who helped me throughout this
chemistry project.

I am grateful for the support and

guidance provided by my teacher
which allowed me to complete this
project on chemistry within the
limited time frame.

I am also thankful to my parents and

friends for their constant
encouragement and cooperation
throughout this project.

Kartik Pandita
 CONTENTS:-
1. Certificate
2.Acknowledgement
3.Introduction
4.Theory
5.Activity
 >>Aim
 >>Apparatus required
 >> Procedure
 >>Result
 >>Precautions
 >>Conclusion
6. Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:-
 The objective of this project is to
study some of the common food
adulterants present in different food
stuffs.

INTRODUCTION
- One of the essentials for life's sustenance is food. A
pure, fresh, and healthful diet is crucial for people's
well-being. The statement that community health is a
national asset is not surprising. Food adulteration was
so common, pervasive, and persistent that complete
legislation, a relatively severe remedy became
imperative. By introducing the Prevention of Food
Adulteration Bill into Parliament, the government began
a systematic and relentless assault to curb this type of
anti-social evil, ushering in a period of much-needed
relief and hope for all consumers.
- Food adulteration was first examined from the
perspective of the consumer's rights and welfare
around the middle of the 19th century, when chemical
and microscopical understanding advanced to the point
where food ingredients could be analyzed. The first
food law that was drafted with the buyer's best
interests in mind was passed in 1860.
- 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 FDA is responsible for maintaining staff
laboratories, enforcing accurate and informative
labelling of critical commodities, and developing rules
and criteria that promote fair dealing in the consumer's
best interests. The 1938 statute established factory
inspections, expanded the criteria of adulteration,
misbranding, and lack of informative labelling, and
stiffened the penalty for infractions. In order to define
and control food coloring and additives, it underwent
amendments in 1958 and 1962. In order to prevent the
spread of illness, the federal law regulates traffic
between states and is complemented by local laws that
mandate food handlers obtain licenses. It also allows
for health officers to inspect foods, restaurants, dairy
products, and cold storage practices.
STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONs: There were
laws against food adulteration in several Indian states,
but they were inconsistent since they were passed at
different times without state-to-state consultation.
Since 1937, when a group created by the Central
Advisory Board of Health suggested this course of
action, there has been a sense of the necessity for
national regulation in this area.
The Indian Constitution's Concurrent List (III) now
includes "adulteration of food-stuffs and other goods."
As a result, the Central Government can now pass all
Indian laws pertaining to this topic. Where municipal
regulations against food adulteration are in place, the
Bill supersedes them. It also applies to states without
such laws.
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),
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 1st 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).
5. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (Amendment)
Act, 1986 (70 of 1986)
GOVERNMENT MEASURES: The government has
enacted a strict law known as the Preservation of Food
Adulteration Act to prevent food providers from doing
this. They were put into place with the intention of
ensuring human safety in the food supply. It addresses
protection against hazards brought on by the
adulteration of harmful substances. The minimum basic
characteristics of the products below which they are
thought to be adulterated are covered by the
specifications set forth for various foods under the PFA
Act. It also covers the maximum limit of contaminants
that are not believed safe for human consumption
beyond a particular threshold.

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 sweet
and buy only from reputed shops.
6. Do not buy sweets or snacks kept in open.
7. Avoid buying things from street side vendors.

THEORY
- Due to the growing number of food producers and the
exceptional volume of imported food, producers are
able to deceive and defraud consumers. It is quite
challenging to distinguish between individuals who
violate the law and those who adulterate food.
Customers' awareness would be crucial. Consumer
health may be at danger due to ignorance and
unscrupulous commercial practices, and poisoning may
result from deceit. Therefore, to detect them, we
require basic screening tests. Food adulteration has
grown to be one of the major issues in recent decades.
When contaminated food is consumed, it can lead to
severe illnesses like ulcers, asthma, diarrhea, and
cancer. Paraffin wax, castor oil, and hydrocarbons make
up most fats, oils, and butter. Brick powder is combined
with red chilli powder, and dried papaya seeds are
combined with pepper. Simple chemical tests are an
easy way to identify these adulterants. The Indian
government has established a number of agencies to
eliminate adulterants from food products.
- 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.

EXPERIMENT I
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in fat, oil
and butter.
Apparatus Required: Test-tube, conc. H2SO4, acetic
acid, conc.
HNO3.
Procedure: Common adulterants present in ghee
and oil are dyes
and argemone oil. These are detected as follows:
(i) 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.
(ii) Adulteration of argemone oil in edible oils: To
small amount
of oil in a test-tube, add few drops of conc. HNO3
and shake it
well. Appearance of red colour in the acid layer
indicates
presence of argemone oil.
 EXPERIMENT II
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:
To small amount of sugar in a test-tube, add few
drops of HCl.
Brisk effervescence of CO2 shows the presence of
chalk
powder or washing soda in the given sample of
sugar.
 EXPERIMENT III
Aim: To detect the presence of adulterants in samples
of chili
powder, turmeric powder and pepper.
Apparatus Required: Test-tubes, conc. HCl, dil. HNO3,
KI solution.
Procedure: Common adulterants present in chili
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 chili powder: To a
sample of chili powder, add dil. HNO3. Filter the dil.
solution and add 2 drops of Potassium Iodide solution to
the filtrate. Yellow ppt. indicates the presence of lead
salts in chilli powder.
(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 chili powder:
Add small amount of given red chili powder in beaker
containing water. Brick powder settles at the bottom
while pure chili
powder floats over water.
(iv) Adulteration of dried papaya seeds in pepper: Add
small amount of sample of pepper to beaker containing
water and stir with a glass rod. Dried papaya seeds
being lighter float over water while pure pepper settles
at the bottom.

OBSERVATIONS
Experiment Experiment Procedure Observation
No.

1. Adulteration Heat 1mL of Appearance

of fat with a of
dyes in fat. mixture of pink colour.
1mL of conc.
H2SO4 and
4mL of acetic
acid.
2. Adulteration To small No red colour
of amount of oil Observed.
argemone oil in a test
in edible oils. tube, add few
 drops of
conc. HNO3
& shake.
3. Adulteration Adulteration Pure sugar
of of dissolves in
Various various water but
insoluble insoluble insoluble
substances in substances in impurities do
sugar. sugar. not dissolve.
4. Adulteration To small No brisk
of amount of effervescenc
chalk sugar in a e
powder, test observed.
washing soda tube, add few
in sugar. drops of dil.
HCl.
5. Adulteration To sample of Appearance
of turmeric of
yellow lead powder, add magenta
salts to conc. HCl. colour.
turmeric
powder.
6. Adulteration To a sample No yellow
of of Precipitate.
red lead salts chilli powder,
in add dil.
chilli powder. HNO3.
Filter the
solution and
add 2 drops
of KI solution
to the filtrate.
7. Adulteration Add small Brick powder
of amount of settles at the
 brick powder given bottom while
in red chilli pure chilli
chilli powder. powder in a powder floats
beaker over water.
containing
water.
8. Adulteration Add small Dried papaya
of amount of seeds being
dried papaya sample of lighter float
seeds in pepper to over
pepper beaker water while
containing pure pepper
water and stir settles at the
with a glass bottom.
rod

CONCLUSION
- Selecting wholesome, unadulterated food is
essential for daily living to guarantee that it
presents no health hazards. Visual inspection alone
cannot ensure that food is healthy when dangerous
contaminants are present at a ppm level. Examining
the food visually before purchasing, however,
guarantees that there are no insects, fungi, strange
items, etc. As a result, it can be quite advantageous
for the consumer to properly scrutinize food before
purchasing it and take the appropriate safeguards.
Second, it is essential to examine food packing
labels to determine the nutritional value and
contents. It also helps determine the best time to
use the food and how fresh it is. Customers should
steer clear of food prepared in unhygienic conditions
and food transported from unhygienic areas. These
foods can cause a variety of diseases. Avoid eating
cut fruits that have been sold under unhygienic
conditions. It is always better to get certified food
from reliable retailers.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

1. WEBSITE:
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.google.com
 • www.yahoo.com

2. BOOKS:
• Comprehensive Practical Manual
• Pradeep’s New Course Chemistry

3. NCERT Class XII