FOOD ADULTERATION

Adulteration is defined as the process by which quality or the nature of a given substance is reduced through.
i.             The addition of a foreign or an inferior substance.
ii.              The removal of a vital element.
·         The word adulterated implies on element of deceit.
·         It means mixing the food with something inferior or spurious.
 
Food adulterant

    An adulterant is any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or sub-standard or mis-branded or containing extraneous matter (FSSAI, 2006).

 
Types of adulteration
 
1.      Intentional Adulteration.
2.      Incidental adulteration.
 
Intentional Adulteration
 
·         Adulterant is added knowingly to increase profit.
·         This type of adulteration includes intentional addition, substitution or addition or removal of substances which adversely affects the quality of food.

        Eg. Sand, marble chips, Earth and other filth.
 
Incidental Adulteration

    Incidental contamination is due to ignorance, negligence or lack of proper facilities.

        Eg. Toxic metals, presence of bacterial and fungal contaminants.

 
Metallic contamination
 
·         Contamination of food with lead can cause toxic symptoms.
·         Lead brings about pathological changes in the kidney, liver, and arteries.
·         The common signs of lead poisoning are nausea, abdominal pain, anemia, insomnia, muscular paralysis and brain damage.
·         Fish caught from water contaminated with mercury salt contains large amount of mercury.
·         The other elements which are toxic in small doses are cadmium, arsenic, antimony and cobalt.
·         Food adulteration is unethical and called as Social Evil and A Slow Poison. 

Food is declared adulterated if:
·         A substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it.
·         Cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part.
·         Any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted.
·         It is an imitation.
·         It is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health.
·         For whatever reasons its quality is below the Standard.
 
Categories of food adulteration
 
·         Replacement: Complete or partial replacement of a food ingredient or valuable authentic constituent with less expensive substitute with the intention of circumventing on “origin” and false declaration of the “process”.
·         Addition: Addition of small amounts of non-authenticated substances to mask inferior quality ingredient.
·         Removal: Removal of authentic and valuable constituent without purchasers knowledge 

Food Adulteration Categories.

Methods for detecting food adulteration
 
1.        Physical Test.
2.        Laboratory chemical Test.
 
1.   Physical test
 
·         It is conducted by observation or visual examination using our senses like taste, smell, and vision and also using Lactometer.
 
2.   Laboratory chemical test
 
·       Devised instructional manual to detect food adulterant harmful effects on health.

 
This incidental poisoning can be prevented by
 
·         Regular market surveys to warn people on the dangerous build-up of toxins in food.
·         Stepping up the integrated pest management program to teach farmers to use pesticides judiciously.
·         No spraying should be done a week before harvest.
·         Using safer pesticides.
·         Washing vegetables thoroughly before cooking.
 
PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTERATION
 
·         Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954., the bill was passed by both the houses of Parliament and received assent of the President on 29th September, 1954.
·         It came into force on 1st June 1955 as THE PREVENTION OF FOOD ADULTERATION ACT, 1954.

 
According PFA
 
1.       Agricultural Produce (Grading & Marketing) Act -1937 Regulation

·         Grade and standards are prescribed for Agricultural & Allied Commodities grading, sorting as per quality attributes and inspection are included.
·         Special features;
Activity based on marketing and grading at producer’s level, AGMARK certification.

2.       Bureau of indian standards (BIS) Regulation

·         Prescribing of grade standards, formulation of standards, specifi cation of foods standards for limit of toxic compounds as applicable.
·         Implementation of regulation by promotion through its voluntary and third party certification system, specifying of packaging and labeling requirements, Special features.
·         General cover on hygienic conditions of manufacture, raw material quality & safety are given.
·         Quality and safety oriented standards.
 
Additives Vs Adulteration
 
·         All additives are not adulterants, if present within the specific limits and once exceeded the limits they become significant adulterants and can cause serious health hazards to the consumers.
·         All additives are not adulterants until reported outbreak of food safety issues occurs.

·         Adulteration takes place all the three stages production, distribution, retailing.