Food Adulteration
Food Adulteration refers to the practice of compromising the quality of food by integrating certain substances, known as Adulterant.[1]
Causes
Food adulteration arises from various factors, but one of the major primary causes is the dishonest practices of traders striving for quick and easy profits. Powdered food products are particularly vulnerable due to their complicated supply chain and slow decline in nutritional and quality over time. Furthermore, unethical measures are frequently employed to retain the freshness of food and reduce financial losses generated by Spoilage (food) during transportation and sales. These practices involve the addition of adulterants to boost volume, the use of Thickening agent to avoid dilution and upgrade solids content, the alternative of missing fat, Carbohydrate, or Protein, the delay of shelf life, improvement of the food's visual appeal, and the generation of a more genuine appearance.[2] Here are some examples of detection of the adulterated foods at home. Milk: When a small amount of milk is added to water, pure milk forms a thin layer on top, whereas adulterated milk quickly mixes into the water. Salt: When salt is dissolved in water, pure salt completely diffuses. However, if adulterated with chalk powder, it will deposit at the bottom of the container. Vegetable: Soaking the vegetables in water for approximately 15 minutes, colored vegetables will discharge their Pigment, tinting the water.[3]
Types of Adulteration
There are three general types of adulteration:
1. Intentional Adulteration: This type of adulteration refers to the addition of substances that have similar properties to the food in which it is mixed. This type of adulteration is difficult to detect due to similar properties.
2. Incidental Adulteration: This type of adulteration refers to accidental addition of substances due to the negligence of proper hygiene in food during processing.
3. Metallic Adulteration: This type of adulteration refers to addition of metallic substances accidentally or intentionally. [4]
References
- ↑ "Food Adulteration - Types, Causes, Methods of Food Adulteration".
- ↑ Anagaw, Y. K.; Ayenew, W.; Limenh, L. W.; Geremew, D. T.; Worku, M. C.; Tessema, T. A.; Simegn, W.; Mitku, M. L. (2024). "Food adulteration: Causes, risks, and detection techniques-review". Sage Open Medicine. 12. doi:10.1177/20503121241250184. PMC 11080768 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 38725924 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ "Food Adulteration: Types, Causes, & Detection". 28 December 2024.
- ↑ Haji, A.; Desalegn, K.; Hassen, H. (2023). "Selected food items adulteration, their impacts on public health, and detection methods: A review". Food Science & Nutrition. 11 (12): 7534–7545. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3732. PMC 10724644 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 38107123 Check|pmid=value (help).
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