UNIT 16 FOOD SAFETY

16.1 Introduction
16.2 Food Contamination
16.2.1 Chemical wntaminants
16.2.2 Contamination by microorganisms
16.3 Food Adulteration
16.3.1 Common Adulterants and their Health Hazards
16.3.2 Simple Tests to Detect Adulteration
16.4 Protecting the Consumer
16.4.1 Food Laws
16.4.2 Food Standards, Certif~ationand Quality Control
16.4.3 Agencies Involved in Consumer Protection
16.5 ~ e Us
t Sum Up
16.6 Glossary .
16.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

16.1 INTRODUCTION

While food contains all the nutrients that the body requires and benefits from it can
also be a carrier of substances and microorganisms (living or otherwise) which cause
harm to the body. Foods that we need for our sustenance and growth, also provide
material for the sustenance and growth of a host of microorganisms. Some of these
microorganisms can cause a great deal of harm to the human body. Therefore, it is
~mperativethat through all the stages of producing, handling, storage. preparation
and serving, food is kept safe from such contamination. In this unit we will talk about
he types of contamination and how to protect our foods from them. We will also
dlscuss the problem of acc~dentalor dellberate addition of undesirable material to
food. This i~calledadulferation. How do we detect this? You will find some answers
In this unit. Finally, we talk about measures that have been taken to protect and
ensure supply of safe food to consumers.

0bjectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
identify ways in which you can protect your food from different types of food
contamination,
- list substances that are accidentally or intentionally added to food items,
describe the hazards of food adulteration, and
apply laws and standards regarding food quality and safety that have been
promulgated in our country, to protect your interests.

16.2 FOOD CONTAMINATION

Food can get contaminated by the water used for washidg and cooking, by the soil in
which it is grown, by the containers used for storage, preparation an'd serving and by
the personnel handling the food at various stages, particularly at the stage of dishing
it out and serving.
Food contaminants can be of two distinct types - chemical contaminants and
microo~ganisrms.L e t us discuss thkse two types of contamination in a little detail
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 F d Safety

16.2.1 Chemical Contaminants

You may know that we add chemicals to food when we salt fish and meat, ferment
plant and animal substances or add spices to improve the taste of our food. These are.
just a few examples of the large variety of chemicals we add to foods not only to
preserve them but also to improve their appearance, texture and flavour. Some are
added to improve nutritional value and some to help in the processing of certain food
items. But are these contaminants? No, they are in fact additives. They are added
intentionally. However, in excess amounts they are harmful for human health. These
quantities are prescribed by laws which-protect the interests of the consumer. A
permitted chemical in quantities higher than prescribed' becomes a case of
adulteration as you will see in sub-section 16.4.1.
Now let us come back to the question of contaminants. There are many instances of
chemicals that are qot supposed to be present in food, but get into it by accident.
These cause injury to human health. Such substances can be called contaminants.
Pesticides are an example of such toxic chemicals. As time goes on more and more
pesticides get accumulated in our bodies due to their presence in food. Such
accumulation can cause abnormalities in the functio~ingof vital organs and body
systems such as the kidney, circulatory system (blood) and brain. Some pesticides
have been linked to cancer.
Besides pesticides, chemicals that may leach into food froni packing material, or trace
amounts of lubricants that can get into the food from processing machinery are all
unintentional contaminants in our food.
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Poisons like lead and cadmium can enter the food through improperly coatedl .
utensils. ~ h e s epoisons are also called industrial contaminants of food. This is because
factories and industries release many of these chemicals into rivers and lakes as part
of their wastes. This then gets into the soil and plants. Their hazards are described in
Table 16.1.
Tnbk 16.1: M Jor hdmtrhl Contaminants of Food

Contaminant Foods Involved Health Effects

1) Polychlqrinated Fish, milk including human milk,
Biphenyls (PCBs) poultry, eggs, meat, processed
and packaged food.
2) Mercury Fresh water fish from polluted
waters (not salt water fish), seeds
treated with mercury fungicides,
plants, foodstuffs grown close to
polluted waters, milk from cattle
grazing on contaminated plants.
Eye discharges, eye inflammation,
severe Skin problems, hair loss,
reproductive problems, liver turnours,
liver damage; may cause cancer, male
sterility, learning problems and other
abnormalities in children when
mothers arc exposed to PCBs.
Acute: Severe abdominal pains
with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea
accompanied in somt cases by severe
damage to kidneys and liver.
Cumulative: Damage to brain and
central nervous system, manifested as
mental and emotional disturbances,
loss of concentration, m*-r.?ry,
general weakness, tremors in the
extremities of limbs, loss of vision,
hearing, paralysis. insanitv.
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Effective Utilization of Health Effects
Contaminant Foods Involved
Food Resources
3) Cadmium Shell fish, aquatic plants and Kidney stones, increased excretion in
an~mals,liver and kidneys of urine of calcium and ammo acids
mammals, foodstuffs from soil (from prote~ns),kidney damage,
where sewage and industrial multiple fractures.
wastes are dumped o r treated
with phosphate fertilizers,
processed food, cigarettes (I
cigarette may have 2 micrograms
of cadmium, 10 per cent of which
may be inhaled as smoke).
4) Lead Water, liver and kidney of Nausea, sleeplessness, constipation,
animals, agricultural produce fatigue, abdominal paln, anaemia,
from orchards treated with a abortions, still births, neonatal
pesticide-lead arsenate or from deaths, Irreversible changes in the
places close to roads with heavy kidneys and brain, paralysis,
traffic, canned food especially convulsions, mental disorders and
acidic food, canned milk and permanent retardation in children.
milk products.
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Source: Poisons in Our Food by Thankamma Jacob, Publication Division (1987).

This table includes several terms you may not be familiar with. T o help you along
here is a Box which lists difficult terms with their meaning:

1I Pollutant .I/
Box 16.1: Understanding the Technical Jargon
: Harmful substance entering water, soil or air because of pollution.
Pollution : The contamination of water, soil, air by harmful chemicals and ,
(Polluted) other substances including microorganisms.
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Fungicidts '' : chemicals which kill moulds br fungi.
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Acute Immediate effects that appear in a few hours or days.
Cumulative : Long-term effects that appear over a period of time.
Anaemia : Low level of haemoglobin in blood.
Abortion : Killing the foetus (unborn baby).
Still births : Baby born dead.
Irreversible : Changes that cannot be reversed on treatment. ,Permanent
Changes changes.
Paralysis : Condition where it becomes impossible to move the affected part
or control its funct'
Convulsions : Fits wherein the pe shakes violently, cannot control his
movements. Saliva usually drips out of the mouth and the persop
may even choke on his tongue.
Neonatal : Deaths of newborn infants.
deaths

16.2.2 Contamination by Microorganisms

You are plobably already familiar with the term 'microorganism'. ~ i c r o o r ~ a n i s m s
are tiny, living cells. Bacteria and viruses are microorganisms as you studied in
Unit 14. Certain microorganisms contaminate food and cause disease in individuals
who consume this food i.e. they cause food poisoning. Foodpoisoning, in other words,
is the term used to refer to the harmful effects of consumingfood contaminated by
microorganisms. Food poisoning is classified into two categories: (a) food infe~tions;
and (b) food intoxications.
 1 Food infections generally involve microorganisms present in the food at the time it is
consumed. Once inside the human being they begin to grow and cause disease.
Diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid are examples of infectious diseases caused by

I
eating contaminated food. A number of viral infections also may be contracted by,
man through contaminated food that has not been processed or handled adequately.
These are infectious hepatitis, poliomyelitis, and various respiratory and intestinal
lisorders.
C
Food intoxications involve toxic substances produced in the food by microorganisms,
before it is consumed. When such food is eaten the person becomes sick because of
the toxin. Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium botulinum cause bacterial food
poisoning because of the toxins they give rise to in the food. Poisons produced by
staphylococci cause severe nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. The toxin produced
bv Closrridium botulinum can kill. It causes dizziness. difficultv in swallowine.
speaking and breathing and finally paralyzes the neck, arm and leg muscles as well as
the respiratory system. '

Certain moulds also produce toxins in the food they attack. These toxins are called
mycotoxins. The ones commonly known are the aflatoxins f m n d in peanuts and
sometimes maize, wheat, rice, sorghum and soyabeans as well, which have been
attacked by a particular mould. They cause liver diseases among those who consume
such infected foods. The ergot fungus is associated with bajra, wheat, jowar and rye.
This fungus produces toxins which fesult in ergotism. The toxin causes
gastrointe_s<inaldisturbances, painful cramps in the legs, gangrene in fingers and toes,
depression, weakness and convulsions. Gangrene is a condition where body parts
begin to get destroyed due to infection. Such parts often have to be cut off otherwise
it can spread to other parts of the body.
Appendix 3 gives some h o d infections and intoxications along with the causes and
thkiypes of foods usually involved in olir country. After through this table, we
hope
- -you will realize how absolutely imperative it is to implement the strictest
possiblestandards of cleanliness in our food-related activities. It is important to
mentio'n here that food vendors that are always present around schools and offices
selling sugarcane juice, coloured sherbats, pani-puri, bhelpuri, chat or cut and sliced
fruits are responsible for gastrointestinal bacterial infections as well as chemical
poisoning by using non-permitted food colours.
Highlight 6 gives you the main precautions to keep in mind so as to avoid
contamination by bacteria and moulds i.e. to avoid food poisoning.

I HIGHLIGHT 6 1 I
How to get the better of bacteria and moulds
I
Bacteria
1) Observe the rules of food hygiene at every stage in the handling of food. People
known to be harbouring infections should not be allowed to handle foodstuffs .
I at the critical stages of ~ r e ~ a r a t i oand
n distrihi~tinn
2) Keep perishable foods under deep freeze o r refrigeration in a clean condition
immediately after purchase to prevent multiplication of bacteria already

I
present. The refrigerator should be kept clean ahd foodstuffs must be placed in
it in such a way that cold air can freely circulate around different items. This is a

to make sure that the foodstuffs kept in the refrigerator are cooled rapidly and
kept cold. No spoilt food should be placed in a refrigerator, lest it spoils other
foods too.
Effective L tlli7ation o f
F nod Hr\ources
3) Cook foods for a sufficient length of time arid at tempcrnturcs high enough to
destroy the bacteria. Meat should be cut into small pieces to ensure thorough
1'
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penetration of heat. If required in large chunks. meat should be roasted or 1
pressure-coqked. i
!
4) D o not keep foods exposed, especially after cooking. If the food is to be 1
consumed later, it should be 1 romptly cooled and then put in the refrigerator. 1
5) If the food has been refrigerated for a long time, it should be reheated before

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I consumption.
6) Foodstuffs such as custard-filled bakery products should be reheated in an
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1
oven at 200' C for 20-30 minutes before consumption. 1
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7) Storage, cqoking and service areas should be kept clean and free from insects
and rats. 1
Moulds (Fungi)
1) Never buy any food in a poor condition. Over-ripe, discdoured, bruised o r cut
vegetables and fruits, for example. should not be purchased. Even cheese
showing cottony spots on the surface must be discarded because there is n o
way of knowing whether the mould is good o r bad. When buying fruits to last
for several days, it is advisable t o stagger the ripeness, so that at the time of
consumption, the fruit is just ripe and not overripe. !n other words don't buy
all at the same stage of ripeness. Buy fruits which are slightly under-ripe.

2 ) If mould growth is noticed on any food, never scrape it off and eat the
remaining food, as is normally done with coconut. It is just not safe. If for
example, the stem area of a ripe and healthy looking tomato o r plum shows
mould growth, it must be rejected. For the 'fuzz' or 'fluff is merely the bloom
of the mould and there will be roots which may have spread throughout the
food. Cooking does not always destroy fungal toxins in foods and hence d o not
rely o n getting rid of the poisons by boiling o r cooking.
3) Store perishable foods carefully so that moulds a t e not permitted t o grow.
Refrigeration generally inhibits mould growth but does not arrest it
completely. In fact, some refrigerators show black spots due t o mould growth,
which must be removed by washing and subsequent drying. Drying is essential;
if drying 1s omitted, the mould will remain because, of all the factors favouring
mould growth, moisture availability is the most important.

4) Foodgrains and nuts must be dried immediately after harvesting and only
when sufficiently dry should be stored in clean, dry air tight containers in a
cool place. The stored goods must be periodically inspected for. caking i.e.
clumping together forming small o r large lumps. If the grain shows caking, it
must be dried again and then stored.

L 11
5) Mould-contaminated foods must always be burnt or buried and not simply
discarded lest the mould spreads and contaminates other human o r animal
foods.
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Check Your Progress Exercise 1 . 4-
1) List the four different ways in which food can get contaminated.

2 ) What are the two distinct types of food contaminants that we need t o worry
about?

.....................................................................
3) Match items in column A with items in column B
CoIumn 'A' Column 'B'
a) Food infections i) Mycotoxins
b) Toxic chemicals ii) Microorganisms
 c) Lead Poisoning iii) Pesticides Food Saletj
d) Moulds iv) Viral infection through food
e) infectious hepatitis v) Utensils

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16.3 FOOD ADULTERATION

We have just discussed various aspects of food contamination. We did differentiate

between food contaminants and additives in the last section. Let us now move on to a
, study of food adulteration.
Adulteration is act by which
something is added to a food item which is inferior in quality or makes it impure
with the intention of making more profit or
something is removed from a fo,od item which reduces its quality.
The commonest examples are adding water to milk in order to increase volume, and
removing part of the cream from the milk without the consumer's knowledge. Mixing
green cardamoms from which essential oils have been removed with good quality
green cardamoms is also an example of adulteration. Any substance which is used to
adulterate a particular item of food is called an adulteranr. Water is an adulterant for
milk and semolina is an adulterant for fine grained sugar. Metanil yellow which is
used to give a bright, yellow colour to turmeric is an adulterant. Papaya seeds are
adulterants for black pepper.
Adulterated food may only make us undergo a monetary loss by making us pay partly
for the rubbish that is added to the food. However, it may actually endanger health
like in the case of metanil yellow as you will see in the following discussion.

16.3.1 Common Adulterants and their Health Hazards;

Adulterants need not always be harmful. Unscrupulous shopkeepers mix poorer
quality rice in better quality rice (such as basmati). This is a good example. The poor
quality rice would not harm us. However, this does mean not getting full value for our
i money. There are, however, several adulterants that can cause harm. We have listed
these here:
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Sand, marble chips, gravel and earth mostly added to grains, pulses, coriander
seeds, rice, etc. If ingested they can upset the digestive system besides being
carriers of infection. They are extremely unpleasant in the mouth and can hurt the
teeth and the gums.
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Water mostly used to adulterate milk. Generally the source of the water is not
clean and therefore it also carries infections.
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Petroleum oils used for adulterating edible oils. Used motor oils are an
example. These oils are toxic and cancer-causing.
Mineral oil - used for coating black pepper to prevent fungal growth. These can
be serious health hazards as some mineral oils are toxic for human beings and
contain compounds capable of causing cancer.
Argemone seeds and oil - Argemone is a yellow-flowered plant that looks like the
poppy,with bluish, silver-veined prickly leaves. Argemone seeds resemble mustard
seeds and they are mixed with them during extraction of mustard oil. Both the
seeds and oil are highly toxic and the consumer can lose his eye sight and develop
a condition called epidemic dropsy. When such adulteration takes place we have
an epidemic of these symptoms. Dropsy is a disease in which watery fluid collects
in cavities or tissues of the body causing swelling. The disease starts with
'
gastrointestinal disturbances and irregular fever with a rash on exposed parts of
the body. Death can occur due to cardiac arrest (i.e., heart stops beating).

Lathyrus sativus (Kesari dal) - Kesari is a very hardy plant and the pulse derived
from it is used to mix with bengal gram which is more expensive, in order to make
bengal gram flour. In villages of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, it is also
used as wages for farm labour. It can cause a form of crippling paralysis in boys
and men 5 to 45 years old. The disease is called lathyrism. The disease starts with

EfTective Utilization of
Food Resources
*
stiffness of the knee joints and legs with pain arounu the knee and ankle jolnts, as
well as in the back thighs. You can read more on this aspect in Unit 19 of Block 5.
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Papaya seeds are used to adulterate black pepper.
Talc - used to polish pulses. Talc has been linked to stomach cancer.
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Washing soda or maida used to adulterate icing sugar.
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Metanil yellow and lead chromate used to give colour to turmeric and to A

jalebies. These are highly ,poisonous. Metanil yellow affects the reproductive
organs and can cause sterility. It has also been associated with stomach trouble
and cancer. The possible health hazards of lead chromate include anaemia (low
haemoglobin levels in blood), paralysis and brain damage especially in children.
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Used tea leaves dried, powdered and coloured, are used to adulterate tea
leaves. Used tea leaves can be the cause of infection and food poisoning
depending on the source from which they are collected.
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Malachite green used to colour dried peas a bright green sd that they look like
fresh peas. This can be poisonous and can cause cancer and abnormalities in vita)
organs such as the kidney, spleen and liver. The colour has also been known to
cause abnormalities in the foetus in experiments conducted on animals. -
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Coloured saw dust is used to adulterate red chilli powder. This can upset
digestion and cause infection.

16.3.2 Simpk Tests to Detect Adulteration

Tests are available by which one can detect adulteration in quite a few of our
commonly adulterated foods. Some of them do require a few simple reagents and
chemicals or tools which can be easily purchased without too much cost, and it is
worth going to the trouble of keeping a stock of these for ready testing. Let us talk
about the simplest of these tests.
Detecting the presence of excess water in milk - This can be done by measuring the
specific gravity of the milk with a small gadget called a lactometer. You can buy it in
the market. Try the scientific equipment shops. A specific gravity reading of less than
4 is an indication of expess water in milk.
Detecting fine sand or semolina in fine-grained sugar or salt - Stir a little of 'the sample
into a glass of clean water. The sugar or salt will dissolve leaving a residue of the sand
or semolina at the bottom of the glass.
Detecting sand or dirt in jaggery - Boil a little jaggery in water. Jaggery will dissolve
leaving sand and dirt at the bottom.
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Detecting adulteration of black pepper with papaya seeds Put a sample in a glass of
water. Papaya seeds will float and the pepper corns will settle at the bottom.
You would have noticed that these tests did not require you to use any special
equipment or chemical reagents. Appendix 5 gives you some simple tests that do
require special equipment and chemicals. For your convenience these have also been
listed (Appendix 4).
Highlight 7 lists the majbr precautions you can take to protect yourself against
adulteration. -- -.
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HIGHLIGHT 7
What you can do to fight adulteration
Caution is the watchword. If you are Careful and you take sufficient precautions
you can protect yourself from the hazards of adulteration. Keep the following
points in mind:
1) Buy food items in packed form. Don't buy loose oils or spices in particular.
2) Buy from familiar shops and cooperative stores.
3) Look for quality marks such as ISI, Agmark, FPO.
4) Reject artifically coloured rice, pulses, sweets, spices.
5) Use natural coloured foods to brighten up meals and teach others to do the
 -

same. If artificial colouring is a must, buy colours with theISI stamp. I

' ooc

6 ) Grind your own spices, besan, cereal flours if possible.

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check your progress ~ x e r c i s e2
1) Which of the following can be called adulterants? Indicating by marking a tick
(dl.
i) Poor quality rice
ii) Good quality rice
iii) Water
iv) Argemone seeds
v) 'Mustard seeds

I vi) Mineral oil

I vii) Castor oil

viii) Motor oil
ix) Kesari da1
x) Sand
2) Describe any two simple tests whereby you can test for adulteration in:
(a) Spices (b) Milk
........................................................................

16.4 PROTECTING THE CONSUMER

Most of us in India spend the highest percentage of our income on food. We would
like to get the maximum returns for the money we spend without compromising on
quality unless we d o so as a matter of choice. In Unit 13 we discussed what food
quality means. It would be worth repeating here that among other attributes, it
includes nutritional quality, absence of toxicity a s well as microbial safety. These
attributes must be evaluated before declaring any food as wholesome. Food products
must be produced under strict hygienic conditions, free from contaminants, processed
without much loss of nutritive value, packaged under sanitary conditions and marked
with suitable labels. As buyers and consumers it is our right to know what we are
consuming. We should also be able to protect 031rright of acquiring clean and

I
wholesome food. Several laws have been promulgated to protect the interests of
consumers in various count~ies.We, in India, also have certain food lads and
minimum standards of quality laid down for a large number of food items.

16.4.1 Food Laws

I Food laws &re extremely important for providing wholesome, nutritious, poison-free
food to the public. Food laws encourage the production and handl~ngof food under
hygienic conltions, aod also prevent the chemical and microbiological
contaminations which are responsible for the outbreak of fo~d-bornediseases and
other health hazards affecting large segments of the population. The main objectives
of food laws can be briefly summarized as fallows:
I ) T o protect the consumer against any health hazards arising out of adulteration.
2) T o protect the consumer from unfair trade practices.
3) T o ensure and enforce fair trade practices.
Effective Utilization of The Government of our country has passed a number of laws to protect the interest of
Food Resources
the consumers In this regard. We shall discuss some of these which concern us
directly
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Referred to as the PFA Act in short, it came into
effect from June 1. 1955. It pertalns to food sold. and defines In specific words what is
meant by a food adulterant, and what shall be considered to be.an adulterated food.
According to ~ tfood
, can deemed to be adulterated when any one of the following
acts are resorted to:
- Adm~xtureof inferior or cheap substances
- Extract~onof certain quality ingred~entsfrom thc food
- Preparing and packing under unsanitary conditions
- Sale of insect-infested food
- Obtaining food from a diseased anlmal
- Incorporation of a poisonous component
- Use of colouring matter or preservatives other than, or in quantities greater than
that approved for the food
-Sale of substandard products which may or may not be injurious to health.
These are the prohibited practices under the P.F.A. Act. Persons found guilty of
selling such adulterated food can be punished, the severity of punishment depending
upon the gravity of the offence. The Act is implemented by the State governments and
the local authorities. They provide laboratory facilities for dependable and quick
analysis in addition to management facilities for implementing the PFA Act. The local
Health or Food Authorities are invested with executive powers to inspect, collect and
analyze stored and marketed foodstuffs and finally prohibit the sale of food6 found to
be adulterated.
The PFA Act provides guidelines for the minimum basic requirements of food
quality. The guidelines are primarily intended to protect consumers from the health
hazards of poisonous food. The Act also.covers requirements for labelling of food
products.
You may have come across labels which try to trick you into thinking that it is the
label for a well-known product. The name-is usually slightly different or the des~gnof
the package imitates that of another product. The PFA Act calls this misbranding and
provides for measures to tackle this malpractice.

Check Your Progress Exercise 3

-: r which
3 ... ~f the following would be considered cases of adulteration according tc

the PFA ~ c tIndicatk

i by marking a tick ( d ):
, Mixture of parmal rice in tdsmatl.
~i~~~~~of broken basmati grains in basmati lice of better quality.
iii) Mustard oil showing traces of argemone oil.
iv) Permitted within amount prescribed.
V) Banned colour In jalebis.
vl) Permitted colour in amounts over that prescribed.
vli) Insect infestcd dal.
~111) Meat packed in a M y slaughter house.
; r Meat packed In transparent polythene
X) Mixture of used tea leaves in fresh.
The Fruit Products Order: withthe exception of traditional items like pickles,
chutneys, the fruit and vegetable preservation industry in India started in the early
thirties. It gained strength during the Second World War to meet the needs of the
defence forces, and a number of units got started all over the country. It was,
therefore, Celt that there was need to discipline these units and exercise checks on the
quality of fruit products they produced. For this purpose the Fruit Products Order
(FPO) was promulgated in 1955. It came under the Essential Commodities Act. Fdr
export purposes the fruit products are further subjected to preshipment inspection
 Food Safety
under the provisions of the Export Act of 1963.
Under the provisions of FPO. it is obligatory to obtain a licence for manufacture ot
fruit products. The FPO lays down hygienic and sanitary requirements for setting up
factories for the manufacture of fruit products, which include: (1) suitable location;
(2) minimum fly-proof requirement and adequate storage space; (3) construction and
maintenance of factory pr . .nd (41 worker's amenities. and personal hygiene.
The order lays dowic statutarv minimum standards in respect of the quality of various
fruit and vegetable products, and processing facilities. Packing fruits and vegetables of
a standard below that prescribed by this Order is an offence punishable by law.
Meat Products Control Order: This makes it illegal to transport meat unless it has
been prepared and processed according to the provisions of the order, and carries the
mark of inspection. It provides for means to:
detect and destroy meat of diseased animals
0 ensure that the preparation and handling of meat and meat products be
conducted in a'clean and sanitary manner
prevent the use of harmful substances in meat foods
0 see that every piece of meat is inspected before sale to ensure its wholesomeness.
The order also lays down rules and conditions for procedures to be adopted for, the
selection of disease-free animals, slaughter house practices and further treatment of
the meat so as to maintain the meat in a wholesome manner, devoid of harmful
microorganisms.
Besides these, there are several other orders promulgated under the Essential
Commodities Act of 1946 which provide, in the interest of the g e ~ e r a public,
l for the
cofitrolof prbduction, supply and distribution of, and trade and commerce in, certain
commodities.

16.4.2 Food Standards and Certification for Quality Control

In general, quality is commonly thought of as degree of excellence - 'A' quality
perhaps being the top degree of excellence, 'B' quality being a little less than 'A' in
excellence, and 'C' quality being even lesser in excellence. In the broader 5ense quality
is considered as a specification or set of specifications which are to be met. Quality
characteristics include those relating to general appearance, size and shape, gloss,
colour, consistency, etc. We have two organizations that are emnowered to lay down
standards of quality for food items, and to certify that these standards are met. These
are the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Directorate of Marketing and
Inspection. The Indian Standards Institution (ISI) now called Bureau of Indian
Standards (BIS), is the national standards body of our country. It operates the
voluntag IS1 (Certification Marks) Act of 1952 which has laid down standards of
quality of processed food items supported by precise methods of testing these
standards. The ISI Act 1952 empowers the Bureau of Indian Standards to establish
and publish Indian Standards in relation to any article or process, recognise other
standards as Indian Standards, specify the IS1 Certification Mark, and grant, renew,
suspend, or cancel the licence for the use of certification under the conditions
prescribed by BIS. It covers almost all consumer goods from electrical equipment,
utensils and cosmetics to processed food products. As regards food items, IS1 mark is
granted to a food processing unit only if the proper hygienic conditions are
maintained, in addition to the availability of testing facilities for quality checking of
the products. Food items such as biscuits, baby fbods, canned foods are IS1 marked.
The IS1 certification scheme though voluntary, becomes mandatory under certain
other Acts and statutes. Food colours, for example, cannot be sold under the
provisions of the PFA Act if they are not'ISI marked. The list of items under
mandatory requirements is increasing day by day as the government is going ahead
with enforcing minimum standards of quality in consumer goods. Look out for IS1
markings!

The Agmark Standard: This was set up by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection
of the Government of India by introducing an Agriculture Produce Act in 1937. Rules
under this Act enable the government to lay down grade specifications of quality for
raw food items. grade designations, and also methods of mafking to indicate various
EffectiveUtilization of grades. Any one williiig to grade and pack in accordance with the provisions of the
Food Resources Act and Rules is authorised to use AGMARK in addition to his own trade brands.
The very first standards laid down were for pure ghee, and the AGMARK Label
No. 1 (special grade) was first affixed by an authorized packer in Calcutta in February
1938. This heralded an era of food quality control and quality certification under
AGMARK, for the first time in India.
~ o r ' t h edomestic market, grading and quality control under AGMARK is voluntary
but for export purposes it has been made compulsory under the provisldns of the
Export Act of 1963. The ~ommoditiesfor export with mandatory AGMARK
certification include food items as well as non-food Items (like wool, tobacco,cotton.
etc.). A total of 41 or so differe~tcommodities are certified with the Agmark. Some
food items in this list are major spices like black pepper. cardamom, chillies, garlic,
onion, ginger and turmeric, minor spices like coriander seeds and cumin seeds,
vegetable oils like groundnut oil and safflower oil. Examples of non-food items on
this list are sandalwood oil, wool, goat hair, castor oil, tobacco and sunhemp.

16.4.3 Agencies Involved in Consumer Protection

The Provisions of the PFA Act are drafted with the main purpose of protecting the
consumer from adulterated foods which are injhrious to him. The drafting of these
rules has been the function of the Central Committee for Food Standards. The
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) formulates standards for food, and these standards
are complementdry to those adopted by the PFA. These standards apply to the raw
materials, the processed foods, the packing material, and even the premises where the
food is processed.

There are four regulatory bodies which determine and control the quality of processed
foods. In order of importance these are: (1) the consumer, (2) the research and
development (R & D ) or the Quality Control (QC) scientists in the country, (3) the
Government organizations like the Central Committee for Food Standards (CCFS),
th, Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) and the Enforcement Directorate for
it. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and (4) the Parliament. The Parliament which
has thk people's representatives enacts the laws, generally on the recommendations of
the CCFS, though it is not bound by such recommendations.

Governmental agencies: The PEA Departments in Central and aiate Governments and
BIS enforce their regulations and/or keep a check on the standards and quality
through various central and state laboratories as mentioned earlier. These include
Municipal Laboratories in big cities, the Food and Drug Administration Laboratories
of the State Governments, the Central Food Testing Laboratories of the Government
of India, and Laboratories of the Export Inspection Council.

Voluntary agencies: Several voluntary agencles have programmes of educating the

consumer so that he can safeguard himself from eating adulterated food. Private food
testing laboratories are also available for carrying out food analysis. Most progressive
companies have their own quality control laboratories.
A number of cons!lmer protection organizations have sprung up in urban centres to
protect consumers. The Consumer Guidance Society of India is one example of a
voluntary consumer protectiop organizatidn. It was started with Bombay as its
headquarters, and branches in major cities. The society tries to create consumer
awareness of the various forms of adulteration and develops consumer resistance to
such adulterated food products by giving talks over the radio and using other mass
media like putting up exhibitions in educational institutions. Enlightened consumers
are on the executive of this Society. The Society gets food samples tested and brings
out a publication 'Keemat' in which consumers are kept informed about the measures
taken to combat malpractices in respect of food. They also try to educate the
consumer about simple methods of detecting adulteration in foods.
Many other consumer o~.,.an~zations focus on helplng the consumer in securing legal
'redress. If a person buys ~ o o dhow
, does he or she know it is adulterated? What
measures can be taken to protect the interest of the consumer who has been cheated'
of his money's worth? It is isshes such as this which are taken up by local
' consumer
organizations who advise the consumer on the best course of action.
 Food Safety
Check Your Progress Exercise 4
1) Name the
i) lnd~anlaw that prov~desus protection against adulteration of foods.
...............................................................
111 lrldian law that ensures hygienic and safe manufacture of fruit products.
.....................................................
111) Ind~anlaw that ensures availability of safe and hygienic meats.

) Indian organizations that prescribe and certify standards of quality In food

Items

16.5 LET US SUM UP

---

In t h ~ bnlt
s you have learnt that:
food can get contaminated between the time it is harvested, slaughtered or
manufactured and the time it is consumed
contaminated food can be harmful for health
food can be adulterated by either adding something undesirable to it or by
removing something desirable from it
there are laws to protect us from adulterated foods and to ensure safe and
hygienic food items in the market
there are brganizatlons that prescribe desirable standards of food quality and
consumers have formed consumer organizations to prdtect themselves against
, unfair ,trade practices.

.-

16.6 GLOSSARY
- -
- -.--. . - --
- --- -- A

C ontamination : T o be ~nfectedwith harmful substances.

Density : The mass of a given substance per unit volume.
lntoxication : Po~soning.
Leach : The movement of substances presenr In a food Into a
surrounding liquid.
Lubricant : That tvhich lubr~cates
Pesticides : That which kills pests
Preshipment : Prior to sh~pping.
.Promulgated : To make known by declaration.
Sanitary : Hyg~eni~.
Specific gravity : The ratio of the density of a material to the densitv of
some standard mater~alsuch as water as a spec~fic
temperature e.g. 4 degree C.
Specific gravity hydrometer : A hydrometer wh~chIndicates the spec~f~c t a
g r a d ~ of
11qu1dw ~ t hreference to water at a pattlcular
temperature.
Standards . defin~temeasure
A
Substandard . Below the measure prescribed
Sustenance Noun5hrnent ,
Effecti~eUtilization of
Good Resources 16.7 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
EXERCISES

Check Your Progress Exercise 1

I
, I] a) By the water used for washing and cooking
b) By the soil in which it grows -

c) Bv the containers used for storage, preparation and serving

d) By the personnel handling the food at various stages of preparation and
serving
2) a) Chemical contaminants
b) Microorgan~sms.
3) a) (ii); b) (iii); c) (v); d) (i); e) (iv)
.
Check Your Progress Exercise 2
1) (i), (iii), (iv), (vi), (viii), (ix), (x)
2) Select from the tests mentioned. Consider black pepper as a spice

Check Your Progress Exercise 3

1) (i), (ii), (iii), (v), (vi), (vii), (viii), (x).
In other words all except (iv) and (ix) are cases of adulteration

Check Your Progress Exercise 4

1) i) Prevention of Food Adulteration Act
ii) The Fruit Products Order
iii) Meat Products Control Order
iv) a) Bureau of Indian Standards
b) Directorate of Marketing and Inspection

Name of the spice Main source of supply
Omam. (Ajwain))' Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Punjab, Madhya Pradesh,
7
Rajasthan, Bengal,
Tqmil Nadu,
Ahdhra Pradesh
Allspice (pimento) Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, hilly
districts of Karnataka *ate,
and Kerala
I
Amchur (whole Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
or powder) Bengal, Orissa a n d ,
Andhra Pradesh
Dalimb (Anardana) Valleys and outer hills of the
2 <
Himalayas, Jammu, Punjab,
Himachal Pradesh
Asafoetida (heeng) Kashmir. Also imported
from Iran and Afghanistan
Caraway seed North Himalayan regions of
(siahzeera) Kashmir and Kunoor
6
Small cardanfom Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
(choti ilaichi Kamataka
green cardamom)
Large cardamom Sikkim and Assam
(bari ilaichi)
.Chilli (mirch) Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Jammu and
Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh,
Punjab and Bihar
Cinnamon (dalchini) C h ~ n aSumatra,
, Two species of about the
Anjarakkandi in
Cannanore district, Kerala,
and the Western ghats
Cloves (lasang) Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Also iniported from
Zanzibar, hence it is
expensive
<. Food Safet)
-- -
Appendix 1
SPICES AND 1'HETR USE IN FOODS
Description Common usage Tips on buy~ng
Tiny greyish-brown seeds As baghar for vegetables Make sure ~t IS clean It 1s
wlth a rough appearance. often adulterated wlth earth
Strong aroma o n crush~ng
between fingers.
. Nearly rlpe berries of Seasoning meats, soups, Buy whole, not ground.
pimento trees. May be cakes, cook~es,puddings, Good to grow In your
obta~nede ~ t h e whole
r or ' p~ckles.preserves kttchen garden
ground. Flavour cons~dered
' to resemble mlxture of
spices, espec~allycinnamon,
nutmeg, cloves.
Dried pieces o r dehydrated T o lmpart sourness t o dry Preferable to buy whole
powder made from unripe vegetables, chutneys, or pleces. If buy~ngpowder, I
mango flesh. Sour in taste. currles, particularly potatoes look for l ~ g h colour.
t
and dals.
Dried seeds of a small sour T o lmpart sourness t o certaln' Buy whole, dry In the sun
variety of psmogranate currles and chutneys. Very ,and powder at home.
popular ingredient of cholas.
Root exhudate collected and Flavouring curries, sauces Hedda heeng is the strongest
formed into balls, mass or and pickles and most priced.
paste
Fruit-like seeds of the Seasoning bread and cakes. Look out for adulterat~onby
caraway plant, which has Added to boded cabbage, spent or drawn caraway
delicate white flowen beef stock, and soft cheeses. seeds, cumln seeds, stem and
Sprinkled over meats like gravel D o not buy
pork, h e r and k~dneys powdered.
before cooktng.
Greenish pods filled with Flavour~ngfor currles, ' Buy Agmark graded
black aromatic seeds. Fruit kheers and other l n d ~ a n cardamom. Natural green
of a small tree or reedlike sweets and K a s h m ~ tea
r~ cardamoms are better I hdn
plant. Seeds possess an Used forchewlng after meals bleached or half-bleachcd
aromatic and agreeably whlch look whlte
pungent flavour
Dark reddish-brown Important component of The cardamom\ \hould he
spherical capsule with several garam masala. Used for its plump and filled w i t h seeds
small blackish seeds held aroma in both vegetarian as Adulterated W I I ~
together by a visoid sweetish wel,l as non-vegetarian underdeveloped a nd e m PI y
pulp s a v o u e preparations capsules.
Dried ripe fruits of the chilli Used for its pungency in Select~ondepends on colour .
plant. May be obtained Indian savoury dishes, . slze and pungencq, and the
either whole or ground pickles and chutneys. Milder purpose for wh~chvou are " "
varieties are used for' buy~ng
imparting red colour to
curries.
Used for its delicate Often adulterated w ~ t hcassla
same flavour used inter- fragrance in both sweet and bark wh~ch1s Inferlor
changeably but coming from savoury dishes Preferable to buy whole and
different species of tree. Bark powder as needed
of cinnamon or cassia tree.
Dried unopened flower buds used for ~ t aroma
s and Should be brown~shblack In
of the clove tree, a handsome flavour In both sweet as well colour, w ~ t hfull and plump
evergreen as savoury d~shes crown. Clove should read~ly
exude 011when stem 15
pressed w ~ t hfinger n a ~ l
Often adulterated w ~ t h
headless clove and clove
stems or cloves from wh~ch
essent~alod has been
removed 99
 .--- - -
Yame ot the \pice M d ~ n\ource of s u p ~ l v Descript~on Common usage TIPSon buy~ng
- .- -- . -- - --
I allI.intlro( d h a n l a ~ trrown almost throughou~ Drled f r u ~ of
t a small plant. llsed ground In currles Preferable to buy whole and
lndla powder when needed. Often
adulterated with stems. dln.
methl and some cereals
Small seed varlety 1s
preferable. Ground cor~ander
1s more prone to
adulteration.

( umln (zeera or All states except Assam. Small drled yellowish to Used 10curries and Heav~lyadulterated w ~ t h
- n t a ~ d7eera 1 Kerala and Bengal grey~shbrown seeds vegetables stems. Insist on cleanpd
zeera

Pnunreeh (methi) lndia IS one of the world's
major producers and
exporters of fenugreek
Small yellow~shbrown seed
which is smooth and oblong
and has a groove acioss
Used for its pleasantly b~ttel Bus whole seeds
taste and distinctive flavrllr
and odour ~n curries,
particularly fish curries. Used
~n pickles and as a baghar
(seasoning)

t rnnel (sonph) Maharashtra, Karnataka. Dried greyish green coloured Used for chew~ngas such Lucknow varlety IS best
cclmmonly called Uttar Pradesh, Punjab. seeds of the fennel plant. and in currles, vegetables and Other good ones are from
4n1seed In In+',? Rajasthan Lucknow variety is slim pulses for flavour. Bombav and Bihar
whlch 1s not correct) while others are plumpish
with yellow tinges.

( I 4.111 II ahsun I Grown practically Bulb of small vegetable plant Used for flavour in preparing Buy dry bulbs with big
throughout India similar t o the onion but with vegetables, meats, poultry, plump cloves. Lasts quite
bulb divided into 10 o r 12 fish, pickles. In the West also sometime at room
sections known as 'cloves' used in making speclal temperature if not peeled
breads. Those not used t e it.
find the flavour
objectionable The strong
odour remalnr In the mnuth
after the meal

c ~ingcl( a d r , ~ h ; Kerala. Assam.
Himachal Pradesh
Rhizome or root of the
ginger plant. Ava~lableas
fresh or d r ~ e droot
Used In vegetarian as well as Make sure 11 1s not stringy
non-vegetarian currles, as and does not have too much
baghar for dry vegetables or mud c l ~ n g ~ ntog 11.
just as a rel~shwith salt and
limejuice. Also used In
preparing soft d r ~ n k sand
murabbas

(i.!vi~r~; Dutch East Ind~es,
Wesl Indies. Tamil Nadu.
Kerala 4ssanp
Crimson net-like arillus or Used for flavouring a Ava~lablear whole, broken
coverlng of the nutmeg number of sweet as well as or ground. Adulterated w ~ t h
kernel. Flavour similar to savoury dishes. and also wild mace Buy whole
nutmeg but considered Wy beverages
many to be more delicate.
May be obtained whole or
ground. On d r y ~ n gthe
crlmson colour change, 10
pale yellow brown I N redd~sh
brown.

Mu\rard l r d ~or rye) Punjab. Uttar Pradesh,
Tam11Nadu. B ~ h a rand
Bengal
Small, round, redd~sh-brown
o r purplrsh-black seed
Another varlety wlth yellow
seeds I \ called sarson
Used for meal and !ish
preparations and as baghar
for vegetables. Also used a,
mustard paste with certaln
dlshes
The purplish black ones
called Banars~ral. and the
small reddlsh brown one
called ral 15 used as splce and
baghar. Ral rb a n dfic~ent
subst~tutetor Banars~ral
Yellow sarson IS rarely used
as a splce

1'4n11mcg
(J'clphal) N ~ l g ~ii~llb.
rl Tam11Nadu Kernel of the f r u ~ tol the C~\cd 11, aromd ~n botP The nu! # \ d~fficultto
.. Kerala, Assam, we also nutmeg tree Available ar a e ?nd 5astIurb d ~ s h e \ powder. hence, advisable to
impcr! some whole ,>I hrtbken nu! (rr A \ a hus ~np~ ~ d e r e dform
.. powder
 Food Safety
-- - -. -- --
Name of the rplcr Main source of supplv Dercrlpt~on Common usage TIPSOP huv~ng
or herb
- . . .. .
. --
Black Pepper K'erala. Karnataka, Berries (peppercorns) of Whole pepper Cora is used as Buy whole and powder as
(kall or go1 mirchl) ram11 Nadu pepper vine. Black and whire a bagliar. Powdered IS used and when you use 1.9ok O U I
pepper comes from same as a spice for its aroma and for papaya seeds as
vlne. White pepper obtained flavour adulterants You can ident~l,
by allowing the peppercorns the papaya wed under a
to mature and removing hand magp~iyingglass - 1 1
black outer skin of dried will show a line while pepper
fruit. Black pepper is much will show a central hole
stronger. Used whole o r
ground.
Poppy seed Neemuch in Rajasthan White seed of the poppy Used as topping for breads. Look out for f ~ n egravel a
(khus-khus) plant, which produces rolls, cookies and some adulterant.
brilliant flowers. Carry no 1ndia6 sweets. .%\SO used for
morphine narcotics making curries.
Saffron (zafran) Kashmir Stlgma of the saffron flower. Used for its flavour and Frequently adulterated W I I I
About 3 m each flower and colourlng In rlce, meat and styles anthers and parts ol
225.000 stlgmas to 500 gins chicken dishes and also In corolld of saffron. Exhausteo
l n d ~ a nsweets. saffron, corn silk and varluu.
mater~alcoloured w ~ t hcod1
tar dyes are also used as
adulterants.
Tejpat (tezpat, Khasi and Jaintia hills, Dried leaf. Available as small Used for its flavour in rice
cassla leaf; also Garo hills, Mikir hills, dried branches with leaves or and non-vegetarian curries
called cinnamon Manipur and as separate leaves - whole particularly in the North.
.lean Amnachal Pradesh or c:-acked.
Turmenc (haldi) Andhra Pradesh, Rhizome of perennial plant. Used for colouring and Buy only Agmark grades
Maharashtra, Orissa. Contains a yellow colour~ng flavouring both vegetarian Alleppey turmeric IS the
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka matter and has a warm and non-vegetarian savowy bes!
and Kerala. .bitterish, somewhat aromatlc d~shesand pickles.
taste.
-.. -. .
Eflective Utilization of Appendix 2
Food Resources
Recipes for home-scale food preservation

A) Potato chips (grated variety)

~ a k these
e in summer when the sun is very hot. Select large sized potatoes. Wash
them well to get rid of the dirt. Bring water to boil, in a large vessel, put the potatoes
in and allow to boil for 5 minutes.'~hrowthe hot water away and pour cold water to
cool the potatoes. When cold, take them out of water, allow them to drain and cool
further. You should do this bit of processing at night and leave the potatoes to drain
and cool till the morning. .
. Early in the morning, peel the potatoes - you might need a knife to do so. Spread a
chatai (mat) on the floor and with the help of a grater (the one with 4 legs is most
' convenient) grate the potatoes on to the chatai. The grated potato will fall in a heap in
one place. D o not toucheit. Just move the grater to another point and grate another
, pile 5nd so on. When the mat is full pick it up carefully and put it in the sun. Dry
them for 2 or 3 days, taking them in at nights. When totally dry store them in a tin
. with closed lid.
.. i

B) +Onionpreserved in vinegar
Buy small size onions. Peel them and remove the top of the core with a sharp knife.
Wash them and soak them in a 2 per cent salt solution for 24 hours. Remove onions
and an additional 2 per cent salt to the water and put the onions back into it for
another 24 hours. Repeat for the next two more days. On the fifth day remove the
onions and soak them in.a fresh 8 per cent salt solution. Leave them in for 10-15 days.
Take them out and wash them with hot water and allow to dry at room temperature
till all moisture disappears from the surface of the onions. Put them in a bottle and
pour in vinegar to cover the onions. Screw the cap on and let it remain at room
temperature. They will be ready to eat in a week's time.

.C) Lime pickle with salt and spices

25 fresh limes, 2 level cups powdered salt, 20 two inch long dried red chillies, 1-1/2
teaspoonfuls fenugreek seeds, a big pea-sized lump of asafoetida, 1 teaspoonful
turmeric powder

Keep the dired red chillies in the sun for one or two hours. Roast them in a dry hot
. kadai over low heat till they feel hot to touch. Next, roast the fenugreek seeds over
low heat to a light reddish brown colour. Roast the asafoetida, crush into powder, till
it looks crunchy. Grind the roasted asafoetida and fenugreek seeds to a fine powder.
Pound the roasted dried red chillies separately to a powder. Mix together the powdered
salt, dried red chilly powder, turmeric powder, fenugreek seeds powder and the
asafoetida powder. If there is any suspicion of dampness, spread the masala powder
on a plate to dry in the sun. Clean your pickle jar with hot water and detergent; rinse
well and dry in the hot sun.
Wash the limes well in running water. Wipe dry with a clean soft cloth. With a
stainless steel knife, cut each lime into 8 quarters. Collect and retain the juice when
drips while cutting.
Now sprinkle the bottom of the jar with a thin layer of the masala powder. Take a
handful of the cut limes and scatter in a layer over the layer of masala powder. D o
this till all the limes and powder are used up, letting the topmost layer be of the
masala powder
Cover the jar with a thin clean dry muslin cloth, then with a tight-fitting lid. Keep
aside in a dry place for three days without touching it. On the morning of the fourth
-
'in
day, open the pickle jar and stir its contents thor&ughly with the handle,end of a
w o d e n ladle, then again cover with its lid, Stir every alternate d,j, for a month. You
shodd keep the jar, whenever possible, underneath the hot sun, covered with only a
thin mrslin cloth. This will help the pickle season sooner.

D) Kanchi(,Preservation by fermentation)
1 kg red canots (any carrots will do. Red give a lovely colour to t h ~ ~ d r i n k )
5 L water
 25 g salt (adjust it to taste later on) F O O ~Safer!

I00 g powdered rai

Get an earthenware pitcher (ghara). Put water, salt and rai into it. Clean, wash and
cbt carrots into small bite size pieces and put into the ghara. Tie a cloth around the
mouth of the ghara and let it sit in the sun for about 7 days. When fermentation has
.set in to the right degree you can start using it. The water should be slightly sour to
taste and deep magenta in colour;. The carrat pieces would taste salty and sourish.
Kanchi is the liquid part which is a very refreshing drink when taken cold. The carrot
pieces are also eaten.

E) Fresh ginger and green chilly 'preserve with lime juice

Fresh ginger
Green chillies
Lime juice
Powdered salt
Scrape the ginger clean, wash it thoroughly and grate it. Wash, wipe and dry. Chop
the chillies into small bits. Mix the two and a d d salt to taste - it should be on the '
salty side. Put in a jar with a wide mouth. Pour in the lime juice till it almost covers it.
Stir well and lea* it. It is ready to eat and will remain unspoiled for 2 to 3 weeks atc
room temp,erature and much longer in the refrigerator. .

F) Avakai (Mangogickle with oil)

25-30 raw sour mangoes (with the hard kernel formed and with slightly str~nginessin
the flesh)
1 kg powdered salt
1 kg freshly powdered rai
1 kg freshly powdered red chilly powder - a special variety is available for pickles
which gives colour but is nbt very pungent.
200 g peeled garlic pods (optional)
200 g K a b ~ l chana
i (optional)
1 tsp powdered heeng
2 kg ti1 oil

Wash and dry mangoes thoroughly. Chop each mango into small serving size pieces
along with central kernel. Throw the seed portion away. Wipe each piece clean with a
damp cloth taking care to remove the thin membrane that sticks to the inside surface
of the kernel. Spread all the pieces to dry inside the room, not in the sun.
Mix all the spices together with the oil in a large vessel. Then mix in the mango pieces,
charla and garlic. Put into a jar and cover. On the third day turn the pickle out into a
vessel, mix well and put back into the jar and store it. This pickle is not put into the
sun. The mango pieces should remain firm. Make sure the oil always covers the
surface of the pickle.

G ) Guava jelly (Preservipg juice extract with sugar)

Guavas Gust ripe and firm)- 1 kg
Citric acid - 2 g 3
Sugar - see recipe
Wash and slice guavas in round thin Chips. This way you get all the pectin out which
is there around the seeds of the guava. Put the pieces along with citric acid to boil i i
just enough water to cover. Cook till the pieces are just done. You should be able to
crush them with your fingers. Cool for convenience in handling. Put into a muslin
cloth or old cotton saree piece to hang for dripping. Collect the juice in a pan. Do not
apply any pressure on the cloth to press the juice out. T o save time hang it overnight.
It takes time to get the last drops out which contain quite a bit of pectin. Collet the
juice. , ,

Put the solid mass to boil again with just enough water to cover. Give one boil and
strain this as well.
Put together both the extracts and test for pectin. T o a spoonful of the juice add two
spoonfuls of methylated spirit or alcohol. If one big clot forms you have a high pectin 103
-
Effective Utilization of content; if several small clots form you have a medium pectin content; it the
Food Resources
precipitate is thin and gelatinous then you have a low pectin content.
Weigh the extract. If pectin is high, add equal weight of sugar; if medium add 75%
sugar by weight. If low, add only 50% sugar by weight.
Put on the flame. Give one boil and strain through cloth to get rid of all sugar
impurities. Then allow to boil on high flame. Make sure it does not over boil. Keep
checking for readiness by dropping from a spoon. It will begin by coming down in a
steady stream. When it comes down in flakes or sheets it is time to stop cooking. Put
a little in a saucer and cool to see if it sets. Add some lime juice or more citric acid to
make the jelly tart enough to suit your taste. Remove all the white foam that collects
on top. Pour into sterilized bottles right to the top. Pour in liquid candle wax to seal.
Screw the bottle cover an. This should keep for as long as you want if unopened.
The colour should be anywhere from golden orange to amber-red due to
caramelization of the sugar.

H) Mango jam (preserving Pruit pulp and juice with sugar)

1 kg chopped ripe mangoes
750 g of sugar
lime juice or citric acid to taste
Cook mangoes and sugar together in a heavy-bottom vessel. Keep stirring frequently
to prevent charring at the bottom. When the mixture becomes thick, check to see if it
is ready. The test is t o put some in a thali or saucer and allow it to cool a little. Push
the mass gently from one side. If wrinkles form on the surface like they d o on your
skin, the jam is ready.

I) Ash gourd (petha) murabba (preserving pieces of fruit with sugar)

Cubed ash gourd - 500 g
Quick lime -
60 g
Sugar - as required.
Dice the firm flesh, discarding skin and seeds. Pick them up with a fork. T o firm the
fruit, immerse in fresh lime water solution (60 g quick-lime to one litre water, allow tu
settle, and use clear decanted solution) for 3 to 4 hours (a soft fruit will require
longer). Drain, wash well with water. Soften the pieces by placing in boiling water fol
15 to 30 minutes. Remove, drain moisture on a cloth. Prepare a syrup of one kg sugar
in 1.5 litie water. Boil syrup, remove scum and add the pieces. C.ontinue heating to
2 to 3-thread consistency.
Leave overnight. Drain syrup, dry on a wire tray or cloth till no longer sticky. Store in
a drv shallow covered container.

J) Lemon squash (with no water)

(This is a very simple method of making lemon squash.)
Take a bottlr, with a n 'row mouth - any size you want (the usual squash type bottle
would be alright). Wabh and dry it in the sun. Fill it to the top with crystalline sugar
Then pour ' - 'r--h strained lime juice till it comes to the top. When you pour the julce
in, the sugar will settle i, .qr: to about two third of the height of the bottle. It needh d
lot of patience t o pou twice. Then, tightly put the cap on and keep it in the sun
Shake it twice o r thrice a day to help dissolve the sugar After 2 to 3 days store it in a
cuol place. Eventually all the sugar will dissolve and the sugar ~mpuritieswlll rise to
the top leaving a transparently clear squash. Because of the high percentage of sugar I
does not need any chemical preservative and ulll ' A < for more than a cedr

K ) Orange squash (with no water)

I k g orange lulce
* / 4 k g 5ugdr
lo g cltrlc d c ~ d t h ~ s\r111depend upon hou you ~loulci ~ h :the squash t o taste
Potassium-metabisulphite - Use 0.7 g per kg of finished product
Orange essence
Mix juice and sugar in a large vessel and stir till all sugar dissolves. Add citric acid to
taste, orange essence and potassium metabisulphite. Pour into clean bottles and stpre.
You need very little to make a glass of drink with water or soda. Since no colour is
added the, colour of the prepared drink will be pale. However, the flavour will be that
of frc-sh orange.

'. , ,

. ,

\
('
 Appeodix 3
SQhlE FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES
---
Name of Illness Causative Agent Foods Usually Involved Hpw Introduced into Fbod Preventive or Corrective
Procedures
I Cooked ham or other meat, Usually food handlers Refrigerate molst foods
Staphylococcus Staphylococcus toxin a
food poisoning poison developed'by ' chopped or ground food, through nasal discharges or during storage perlods
staphylococcus when it dalry products, "warmed local s k ~ ninfectlons (acne, mlnimlze use of hands In
grows in food vver" food p~mples,bolls, scratches and preparatlon. Exclude
cuts) unhealthy food handlers
(having pimples, boils and
other obvious infections)
Perftingens food Clostridrum perfringens Meat which has been boiled, Natural contaminant of meat Rap~dlyrefrigelate meat
poisoning steamed, or partlalLy roasted, between cooklng and use
allowed to cool several hours'
and subsequently either
cooled or reheated ,
~~almoncilosis Over 800 types of Salmonella Meat and poultry, ground Faecal contamlnatlon by By good pers~nalhabrts of
bacteria,.capable of foods, egg products! shell food handlers. Raw food handlers, sufflc~ent
producing gastro-intestinal fish, "warmed over" foods contaminated meat and cooking and refrlgeratlon of
illness poultry, liquld eggs and perishable foods. El~mrnate
unbo~ledmilk rodents and flles.
Salmonellosis Salmonella typhosa Moist foods, dalry products. By food handlers and other Prohibit carr~ersfrom
a) Typhoid Fever S. Paratyghi A shell fish, raw vegetables and carrlers handling food; requlre strlct
b) Para-typhoid A water personal cleanliness ~nfood
preparatlon, eliminate flles
Streptococcus food Beta haemolytic Streptococci Food contammated wlth Coughing, sneezing or Exclude food handler5 with
infection (throat) nasal or oral discharges handling known streptococcal
from a penon suffering from infections
the disease or someone who
carries the germs wlthout
showing symptoms
(a carrier)

S I-eptococcus Enterococcus group; Foods contaminated with By unsanitary food handling Same as above; thorough
lrrtection (intcstipal) Pyogenic group excreta on unclean hands , cooking of food'and
refrigeration of most food
durlng storage periods.
Botul.sm Toxins of Clostridium Improperly processed or Soil and din; Spores not Cook canned foods
botulinum unrefrigerated foods of low killed ~ninadequately heated thoroughly after removing
acidlty foods before serving, discard all
foods in swollen unopened
cans.
Bac~llaryDysentery Shigclla bacteria Foods contaminated with By unsanitary food handling Strict personal cleanliness ~n
(Sh~gellosis) excreta on unclean hands food preparation;
refrigeration of moist foods.
Exclude carriers.
Amoebic Dysentery Entamoeba histolytica Foods contaminated with By unsanitary food handlers Protect water supplies.
excreta on unclean hands ensure strlct personal
cleanlihess with food
handlers. Exclude carriers.
Pork Tape Wonn Taeala solium Raw or insufficiently cooked Raw pork from hogs fed Thoroughly cooked pork and
pork or pork products uncooked infected garbage pork products ,
 F a d Sd*
.Appendix 4
DETECTING ADULTERATION IN FOOD-EQUIPMENT AND CHFMICALS REQUIRED

Equipment Chemicals
Dropper Tincture lodine (iodine crys!als; Potassium iodide crystals)
Testtube Resorcin; Resorclnol ~nconcentrated hydrochlor~cacid
Water bath Concentrated hydrochloric acid
Glass-stoppered test tube , Dilute hydrochlor~cacid
Beaker Ether
Volumetric flask (100 ml) Ferric chloride solution
~ e a s u r i nflask
~ ( I 0 ml) Alcoholic potasslum hydroxide
Filter paper Petroleum ether
Magnet Metanil yellow
Mortar & pestle Acidified potassium permanganate
China dish Sodium hydroxide
Magnifying glass' Common salt

I
Sugar
Carbon tetrachloride
 Appendix 5
SIMPLE TESTS FOR COMMON ADULTERANTS IN FOOD

Foodstuff Adulterant Test

I) Milk, curd, khoa, ghce Starch ~ d addrop of tincture iodine to a little of the
butter sample. Blue colour shows added starch in any
form. (Iodine solution may be prepared by
dissolving 2.5 g of iodine crystals and 3 g of
potassium iodide in sufficient water to make the
volume 100 ml.)
2) Milk or curd Cane sugar ~ d 0.1d g resorcin and I ml concentrated
hydrochloric acid to 10 ml of the sample and
boil, A rose red colour shows sugar.
3) Butter Coal tar dye Melt the butter in a test tube kept in a hot water
bath and continue heating until thc.fat and ,
water layers completely separate out. Decant off ,
the butter fat from the top into a clean dry test
tube. In another test tube, dissolve about 2 ml of
clear fat in ether, add to it 1 to 2 ml of 50%
hydrochloric acid, shake and allow to settle.
''
Formatioh of a pink to wine red colour in the
lower acid layer shows coal tar dye.
4) Ghee or butter Vanaspati Dissolve a pinch of cane sugar in 10 ml . .
concentrated hydrochloric acid taken in a glass-
stoppered test tube. Add 10 ml of the melted
ghee, stopper the bottle and shake vigorously
for two minutes. Let it stand till 2 layers .
separate. If the lower layer turns pink or red, the -
ghec contains vanaspati.

5) Edible oils Argemone oil Shak&,up5 ml of the filtered oil with 2 ml of

concentrated hydrochloric acid in a test tube
and warm the mixture for 5minutes in a water
bath with occasional shaking. Decant off the oil
from the top and add to the remaining acid
, layer I ml of 10% ferric chloride solution,
, gently. Rotate the tube between the of the
hands to mix the solutions and heat the mixture
in a boili* water bath for. 10 minutes.
Formatian .of 'reddish brown precipitate or
crystals shows argemone oil.
Mineral oil, Mix 2 ml with 2 ml of 3% alcoholic potassium
hydroxide, heat in boiling water bath for,
I5 minutes, add 10 ml water. Any turbidity
shows mineral oil.
Castor oil Dissolve oil in petroleum ether in a test tube and ,

cool the test tube in ice-salt mixture. Turbidity

within 5 minutes shows castor oil.
6) Aerated water Mineral acid other than Soak aJstripof filter paper in a dilute (0. I%)
phosphoric acid water solution of metanil yellow and then dry.
Dip one end of the paper into the aerated water.
The wetted portion turns violet.
7) Coffee powder a) Starch (toasted ' Make 'a decoction of the coffee, decolourise it.by
bread crumbs, rye, adding acidified potassium permanganate and
wheat, peas etc.) then add a drop of iodine solution. Blue colour
shows starch..
b) Roasted dates and Shake powder with 2% sodium hydroxide (or 7
tamarind seeds washing soda) solution. Formation of reddish
colour shows tamarind seeds. ,.

8) Tea (dust/!eaves) a ) Artificially ioloured Sprinkle the tea on asheet of wet white papcr.
foreign matter or Pink or red spots appearing on the ,papcr,shows
exhausted tea leaves addedcolour.
,
b) Iron filings Draw a magnet through tea. Iron filings will
cling to. the magnet.
9) Cane sugar a) Iron filings . Pass a magnet through the sugar, kron filings
. ,

will cling to the magnet.

b) Fine white sand, Stir one teaspoon of the sugar into a glass of
dirt, semolina (suji), clear water. Only the sugar will dissblvk IeaCing
chalk powder a residue of the sand, dirt, semolina or chalk.
, t
G u r (Jaggery) a) sand, dirt, chalk Boil a portion with excess water. Gur will Food Safety
dissolve but sand and dirt will not.
b) Metanil Yellow Dissolve a little gur in water. Filter and dilute
(coal tar dye) the solution and then add a drop of concentrated
hydrochloric acid. A magenta red colour shows
the presence of metanil
c) Washing soda Add so&e hydrochloric acid. ~ u b b l i n ggas
shows washing soda.
Honey - Commercial invert Fiehe's Test: ~ i about
x 5 $.of the honey with 10
sugar (mixture of ml of ether in a mortar, usinga pestle. Decant
glucose and fructose) off the ether extract into a china dish. Repeat
twice with more ether and collect all the extract
in the same dish. Allow the ether to evaporate
off a t room temperature. To the remaining
residues in the dish, add a large.drop of a 19
solution of freshly sublimed resorcind in
concentrated hydrochloric acid. Immediate
appearance of a cherry red colour indicates
commercial sugar.
Sweetmeats Aluminium foil for Treat the foil with a little warm dilute
decoration hydrochloric a c ~ d Bubbles
. of hydrogen gas w~ll
(instead of silver) be evolved from the foil (silver foil does not
react) ~

Sweatmeats, Icecream Metan11 yellow Shake with warm water and add to separated
sherbet etc. water, conc. hydrochloric acid. Red colour
indicates the presence of the forbidden dye.
Foodgrains and nuts Mould The gralns and nuts will ap~ar_discolouredand
(e.g. groundnuts) shrunken and w~llusually have an,gff taste and
float on water.

Wheat, bajra and other Ergot (a pol>onous Long Irregular b i a grains

~ show ergot Treat
foodgrains fungus) w ~ t h20% salt solution krpot will float and
sound gralns will slnk
Datura seeds Brown black seeds resembltng ch~ilr.;eeds wh~ch
can be eas~ly~dent~fied.
Foodgrams and pulses Insect, larvae Vlsual exammation.
(whole and ground) Excess~veinfestation resqkh !c ~ ~ ~ l p l e a sodour
ant
and taste and the grains i tloat on water

Wheat flour, semol~na Sand, grit T o a little of the sample add 5 ml of carbon
(suji), Bengal gram tetrachloride in a dry test tub, . >flake
%

flour (Besan) well. Sand and grit w~llsettle d. cne bottom

leaving flour on top.
Iron filings Pass a magnet through marerlal. Iron w ~ l cling
l
to magnet.
Chalk powder 'Treat sample w ~ t hhot hydrochloric a c ~ d .
Bubbling of gas shows carbon dioxide gas from
chalk o r other carbonates.
Wheat flour Resultant atta More water needed to make dough-chapatis
from which maida. blow out and are i n s ~ p ~ d
suji have alreadv
been extracted
Whole black masoor, Kesari pulse (whole Visual examlnatlon (wedge-like shape). Also
and Bengal gram , gives brown colour with hydrochlortc a c ~ dIn 15 to
'0 mlnutes.
Split and dehusked a) Kekari dal Visual exam~natign(usually present in arhar
pulses - dal and bengal gram)
b) Metanil yellow Shake a portlon w ~ t hcold water. The
water becomes yellow~shand on treatment with
hydrochloric acid turns magenta red in colour.
Common salt Sand, dirt, chalk Stir a little of the sample w ~ t hexcess water;
.sand and dirt w~llsink but the salt will dissolve,
chalk will float giying a whitish solution.
Red chilli whole Polished with red dye Soak some cotton in mjneral oil (l~quidparaffin)
and rub the outside of the red chilli with the
cotton. If the cotton becomes red, the sample
has added colour.
Effective Utilization of 21 ) Turmeric (whole and Metanil yellow Shake up with some water, dilute till 1t.k almost
Food Resourns powdered) and mixed colourless and then add a few drops of conc.
splces (powdered) hydrochloric acid. Magenta md colour shows
drtificial colourlng with metanil yellow.
22) Powdered spices Sand, grit, talc Shake up a little of the sample with about
(turmeric. chilli, 5 ml carbon tetrachloride in a dry test tube.
coriander, garam Allow to settle. Sand, talc and grit will sink to
masala, curry powder the bottom, leavlng spice on top.
etc.)
23) Saffron Dyed tendrlls of Shake wlth water several times, pouring away
maize cob the water each time. Only pure saffron gives
colour as.long as it lasts; also does not break
easily like the artifical.
24) C~nnamon(dalchinl) Cassia bark (chini dal) Thick bark with less aroma than pure cinnamon
(thin bark) shows adulteration.
251 ( ardamom, cloves Exhausted (a rrady If dry, shrunken ~nappearance. If not drled
extracted) splce well, soggy, wlth fungus lntestation. In
elther case defrc~encyof aromatlc taste
261 Mustard and Ral ,eeds Argemone seeds Small seeds resembling mustard but blacker
more rough and not un~formlysmooth and
round. Can be seen under a magnifying glass
27) Mustard, Ral, Cumin Stones dnd
Seeds, Khus-Khus etc. foreign matter
-- - -

Vote: Adulteration detected as above needs to be confirmed by analysis In a recogn~zedfood testing

laboratory the tests in no way replace the prescribed laboratory tests.