5 easy food adulteration tests you can perform at home, as shared by the food authority

Food adulterer: Buying food from trusted sources is essential for our health and long -term well -being. This is especially important since adulteration instances are becoming almost ubiquitous today. It is important to safeguard against its harmful effects. Do you ask how to verify if your food bought in the store has been manipulated? To increase public awareness, the FSSAI (Authority of Food and Security Standards of India) often shares simple adulteration tests that people can perform at home. Here are five of them that you should see:

Also read: Is milk drinking safely? Verify adulteration with these simple tests

5 easy food adulteration tests you can perform at home, shown by FSSAI

1. Saffrón

Spices can be quite expensive. Therefore, apart from health concerns, the adulteration of spices also implies a waste of a significant amount of money. Saffron is considered among the most expensive spices. Therefore, it is not surprising that the manipulation objective is often. The FSSAI has shared a trick to verify if the saffron has been adulterated with dry corn cobs. All you need is a glass of water that has heated to around 70-80 degrees Celsius. Add some threads of saffron to the glass and observe what happens. If they release the color slowly, it means that saffron is not adulterated. If the launch is faster and more intense, it must be cautious. Watch the full demonstration video here to know more.

2. Pepper black

Another spice adulterer that can be done at home is for black grains, which are often mixed with blackberries. There is a very simple way to verify if the pepper grains at home are the real business. Extend a small amount of them on a flat surface like a table. Then press down on the pepper grains with the thumb. If the sample is adult, it will break easily, since it contains blackberries. Pepper beans are much more difficult to break with bare hands. Watch the full video here.

3. Batata

In addition to spices, vegetables are another category of basic ingredients that forms a regular part of our diet. The external appearance of vegetables can be “improved” using artificial dyes to be more attractive to consumers. For example, sweet potatoes can be adulterated with Rodamina B, a chemical dye used for industrial purposes. If you want to try if the potato is safe to consume or not, it first immerses a cotton ball in water or vegetable oil. Then rub on the outer surface of the sweet potato. If the cotton ball has a reddish violet dye after being rubbed, indicates the presence of Rhodamine B. Watch the full video here.

4. Tea leaves

_{Tea leaves can be adulterated with artificial dyes and other pollutants.}

Tea leaves can also be often adulterated to improve their color. To verify if their leaves have combined with exhausted tea leaves, it needs filter and water paper. Extend the tea leaves on paper and sprinkle water on it. Then wash the paper with ordinary water until all the leaves have been removed. Take a look at the paper now, against light. Do you see blackish brown spots? If so, its tea leaves are adulterated. Get more information here.

5. Cooking oil

Cooking oil can be contaminated with tri-ortho-flesil-phosphate, a compound that can cause poisoning. You can use another daily ingredient to verify this specific type of adulteration. First, take a small amount of oil in a bowl or glass. Add a tablespoon of yellow butter to the oil. If the color of the solution changes, it indicates that the oil is impure. Watch the full video here.

Also read: Avoid using the newspaper to wrap, serve food: the food authority highlights the health risks involved

Food security is an individual and collective responsibility. Knowing these tips and tricks can not only help you protect your health, but also become a better consumer.