A Study on Adulteration of Milk, Wheatflour, Red Chilli Powder and Salt from Different Zones of GHMC, Hyderabad

Adulteration is an addition of another substance to a food item in order to increase the quantity which may result in the loss of actual quality of the food item. The present study was undertaken to check for the presence of adulterants in milk, wheat flour, red chilli powder in both branded and unbranded samples and to check for adulterants in five different branded salt samples. All the samples of wheat flour, milk, red chilli powder and salt were collected from five different zones of GHMC, Hyderabad. Milk samples were checked for the presence of common adulterants like starch, cane sugar, urea, sodium chloride, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium sulphate, boric acid, formalin, pulverized soap, detergent, skim milk powder and vanaspati. Wheat flour samples were checked for the presence of adulterants like excessive sand and dirt, maida, chalk powder, excess bran and boric acid. Red chilli powder samples were checked for the presence of oil soluble dye, water soluble dye and rhodamine. Salt samples were checked for the presence of chalk powder. The results showed that out of 75 branded milk samples the maximum adulteration was found with formalin (73.3 %). In unbranded milk samples the maximum adulteration was found with cane sugar (53.3 %). In wheat flour 37 % of samples were adulterated with maida, 28 % with excessive sand and dirt, 9 % with chalk powder and 7.9 % with excess bran.76 % of the branded chilli powder samples were adulterated with water soluble dye, 68 % with oil soluble dye and 56 % were adulterated with rhodamine.54 % of the unbranded chilli powder samples were adulterated with both oil soluble dye and water soluble dye and 46 % were adulterated with rhodamine. Among 60 salt samples from five different brands it was found that 15 samples of one brand was adulterated with chalk powder. Thus it has been observed that even branded samples show a high level adulteration. This major menace needs to be tackled both at the government level as well as the consumer level. At the government level laws need to be more strict and to be implemented. Similarly awareness has to be created among the consumers.