Simple ways to check food adulteration

Indian kitchens are always full of a plethora of ingredients. However, the ingredients available to Indians have been becoming less and less trustworthy in recent times, and the purity of these foods, or lack thereof, is concerning.

Several reports of adulteration in commonly used ingredients can be easily found on the Internet.

Adulteration is the use of unnatural ingredients in food items such as milk, butter, and spices, which are added to give them more color or help them stay fresh for a longer period of time.

The health consequences of adulterated ingredients can be severe, but luckily, there are certain simple tests that can be done to see whether or not food items have been adulterated.

Coriander powder is often adulterated with husk. To detect it, add a teaspoon of it to a glass of water and stir well. The actual coriander powder will settle at the bottom of the glass, while the husk will float up.

Sugar can sometimes be adulterated with chalk powder. To test for it, stir a spoonful of it in a glass of water for a few minutes. If the solution becomes white with residue at the bottom, it indicates the presence of chalk. If chalk is not present, the solution will be pure.

Milk can be adulterated with detergent. To detect it, mix ten milliliters of milk with ten milliliters of water. Shake it for a few minutes. If there is detergent present, a dense lather will form. Pure milk will instead have a thin layer of foam.

Butter can sometimes be adulterated with vegetable oil.

To test for it, melt some butter, put it in a transparent container, and add a pinch of sugar. Shake it and then let it sit for five minutes.

The presence of vegetable oil is indicated by a red color at the bottom of the container.

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