Food Adulteration

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Food adulteration adulteration is probably probably not a term that people are familiar familiar with. That being said, it's important to know where your food comes from and what sort of practices are used in manufacturing the food that you consume. As the organically grown movement grows,  people have become more interested in growing and farming methods. Contaminated foods and drinks are common sources of infection. Among the more common infections that one can get from contaminated foods and drinks are typhoid fever  Escherichia  Escherichia coli infections, shigell shigellosis osis or bacilla bacillary ry dysenter dysentery, y, giardia giardiasis sis,, cryptos cryptospor poridi idiosi osis, s, other other salmone salmonello lloses ses,, cholera, rotavirus infections, also a variety of worm infestations. Many of the infectious diseases transmitted in food and water can also be acquired directly through the faecal-oral route.

Food adulteration

Food Adulteration is the act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient. 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

Food-preservatives have a very extensive use, which often constitutes adulteration. Salt is the classic preservative, but is seldom classified as an adulterant. Salicylic, benzoic, and  boric acids, and their sodium salts, formaldehyde, ammonium fluoride, sulphurous acid and its salts are among the principal preservatives. Many of these appear to be innocuous, but there is danger that the continued use of food  preserved by these agents may be injurious. Some preservatives have been conclusively shown to be injurious when used for long periods.

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Coal-tar colours are employed a great deal,  pickles and canned vegetables are sometimes coloured green with copper salts; butter is made more yellow by anatta; turmeric is used in mustard and some cereal preparations. Apples are the basis for many jellies, which are coloured so as to simulate finer ones. In confectionery, dangerous colours, such as chrome yellow, prussian blue, copper and arsenic compounds are employed. Yellow and orange-coloured sweets are to be suspected. Artificial flavouring compounds are employed in the concoction of fruit syrups, especially those used for soda water. Milk is adulterated with water, and indirectly by removing the cream. The addition of water may introduce disease germs. Cream is adulterated with gelatin, and formaldehyde is employed as a   preservative for it. Butter is adulterated to an enormous extent with oleomargarine, a   product of beef fat. Brick dust in chilli powder, coloured chalk powder in turmeric, injectable dyes in watermelon, peas, capsicum, brinjal, papaya seeds in  black pepper etc.

To avoid illness, one is advised to select foods with care. All raw foods must be checked for contamination  particularly in areas where hygiene and sanitation are inadequate. One is advised to avoid salads, uncooked vegetables, and unpasteurised milk  and milk products such as cheese, and to eat only food that has been cooked and is still hot. Undercooked and raw meat, fish, and shellfish can carry various intestinal pathogens. Cooked food that has been allowed to stand for several hours at ambient temperature can  provide a fertile medium for bacterial growth and should be thoroughly reheated before serving. Consumption of food and beverages obtained from street food vendors has been associated with an increased risk of illness.

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History

Food adulterants can be traced back as far as 1820. Frederick Accum, a German chemist, investigated the use of adulterants when he identified metal colorings in drink and food that turned out to be toxic. Food suppliers during this time were upset by Accum's work and he was discredited. However, Arthur Hill Hassall, a physician, later conducted studies, which were published and led to further legislation and the 1860 Food Adulteration Act. Common Food Adulterants • •



• • •







• • • • •











Mogdad coffee, whose seeds have been used as an adulterant for coffee Roasted chicory roots, whose seeds have been used similarly, starting during the  Napoleonic era in France (and continuing until today as a moderately popular  additive for cheaper coffee) Roasted ground peas, beans, or wheat, which have been used to adulterate roasted chicory Diethylene glycol, used by some winemakers to fake sweet wines Oleomargarine or lard, added to butter  Rapeseed oil, commonly added to sunflower oil and soybean oil, brassicasterol  being a marker of its presence Rye flour, corn meal or  potato starch, used to dilute more expensive flours; alum is also added to disguise usage of lower-quality flour  Apple jellies, as substitutes for more expensive fruit jellies, with added colorant and sometimes even specks of wood that simulate strawberry seeds Artificial colorants, often toxic - e.g., copper , zinc, or indigo-based green dyes added to absinthe Sudan I yellow color, added to chili powder , as well as Sudan Red for red color  Water , for diluting milk and beer and hard drinks Low quality black tea, marketed as higher quality tea Starch, added to sausages Cutting agents, often used to adulterate (or "cut") illicit drugs - for example, shoe  polish in solid cannabis Urea, melamine and other non-protein nitrogen sources, added to protein products in order to inflate crude protein content measurements Powdered beechnut husk aromatized with cinnamic aldehyde, marketed as  powdered cinnamon. High fructose corn syrup or cane sugar , used to adulterate honey; C4 sugars serve as markers, as detected by carbon isotopic signatures Glutinous rice coloring made of hazardous industrial dyes, as well as tinopal to make rice noodles whiter (to serve as bleach)  Noodles, meat, fish, tofu preserved with formaldehyde in tropical Asia, to prevent spoilage from the sun

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Examples

Some examples of adulterating food by adding substances to them include: Selling sugar water that has been artificially flavored and claiming that it's apple juice; spraying water on grain that's being stored

to

increase

its

value

and

weight;

contaminating milk or infant formula with melamine. Adding "fillers" to foods instead of using pure ingredients is probably the most common form of food adulteration.

Here are dangerous ill-effects of some common adulterants in food substances Tea: Artificially colored saw dust or foreign leaves are mixed in tea leaves or teas dust. This leads to cancer and several health hazards. Milk: Not only water but also starch, wheat flour, rice flour, arrow root etc are added to

milk. Also dangerous substances like Pulverized soaps, detergents, Ammonium sulphate, Urea, boric acid are also added lead to cancers, Acute Renal failure etc. Coffee Powder: Coffee powder is adulterated with roasted chicory. In recent days it is

found that mixture of coal, clay, indigo and lead chromate are added to coffee powder  which leads to paralysis and brain damage. Ghee (Clarified Butter): Merchants used to adulterate Ghee by using vanaspathi

(hydrogenated vegetable fat), but these days it is adulterated in a dangerous way; that is the  bones of cows, donkeys, monkeys, horses, pigs, dogs etc were boiled in a huge pan and the obtained fat is added to ghee and mixed with some scented substances. This leads to chronic chest infections. Food grains and pulses: Stones, sand and filth are mixed in food grains and pulses which

damage the digestive tract.

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Edible oils and fats: If the edible oils or fats are adulterated with Argemone oil, it leads to

Glaucoma and sometimes cardiac arrest and the adulterant white oil and other petroleum fractions lead to cancer. In case oils are adulterated with Rancid oils it destroys vitamin A and E whereas if the adulterant is TCP it leads to severe paralysis. Mustard seeds: Argemone seeds are mixed in mustard seeds and lead to epidemic dropsy. Turmeric powder: Turmeric powder is adulterated with lead chromate. This leads to

 paralysis, anemia, brain damage and abortion. Alcoholic liquors: These are contaminated with methanol which cause blindness and often

death. Fruits: It is a sad thing that these immoral merchants won’t leave even the natural foods.

Fruits particularly apples and mangoes are sprayed over with lead arsenate that leads to chills, cramps, paralysis and death.

Injurious Adulterants/Contaminants in Foods and their Health Effects S.No

Adulterant

Foods Commonly Involved Diseases or Health Effects

Adulterants in food 1

Argemone seeds  Argemone oil

2

Artificially

coloured

Mustard seeds

Epidemic dropsy,

Edible oils and fats

Glaucoma,

Cardiac arrest foreign As a substitute for cumin seed, Injurious to health

seeds 3

Poppy seed, black pepper  Foreign leaves or exhaustedTea tea

4 5 6

leaves,

saw

Injurious to health, cancer  

dust

artificially coloured TCP Oils Rancid oil Oils Sand, marble chips, stones,Food grains, pulses etc. filth

5

Paralysis Destroys vitamin A and E Damage digestive tract

7

Lathyrus sativus

Khesari dal alone or  Mixed inLathyrism other pulses

(crippling

spastic

paraplegia)

Chemical Contamina tion 8

Mineral

9

petroleum fractions) Lead chromate

pepper  Turmeric whole and powdered,  Anemia,

Methanol

mixed spices brain damage Alcoholic liquors Blurred vision, blindness, death Fruits such as apples sprayedDizziness, chills, cramps,

10 11

 Arsenic 12 Barium

oil

(white

oil,Edible oils and fats, BlackCancer  abortion,

paralysis,

over with lead arsenate paralysis, death Foods contaminated by ratViolent peristalisis, poisons (Barium carbonate)

arterial

hypertension,

muscular 

twitching, convulsions, cardiac disturbances Fruit juices, soft drinks, etc. in ‘Itai-itai (ouch-ouch) disease,

13 Cadmium

contact with cadmium platedIncreased vessels

or

equipment.gastritis,

salivation, liver

and

acute kidney

Cadmium contaminated water damage, prostrate cancer  and shell-fish Water, liquors

14 Cobalt 15 Lead

Cardiac

insufficiency

mycocardial failure Water, natural and processedLead poisoning food

retardation,

damage)

Food

Vomiting, diarrhoea

Food

Colic, vomiting

Food

Colic, vomiting

Copper  17 Tin 18

(foot-drop,

insomnia, anemia, constipation, mental

16

and

Zinc

6

brain

19

Mercury fungicide treated seedBrain damage, paralysis, death Mercury

grains

or

mercury

contaminated fish

NOTE: Safe limits have been prescribed for above metals in different food. Continuous use of food contaminated with these metals beyond safe limits may cause these diseases

Bacterial contaminati on 20

Cereal Bacillus cereus

products,

custards,Food

puddings, sauces

infection

vomiting,

abdominal

diarrhoea) Meat and meat products, rawSalmonellosis

21 Salmonella spp.

(nausea,

(food

pain, infection

vegetables, salads, shell-fish,usually with fever and chills) eggs

and

egg

products,

warmed-up leftovers Milk, potato, beans, poultry,Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery)

22 Shigella sonnei

tuna,

shrimp,

moist

mixed

foods Dairy products, baked foodsIncreased salivation, vomiting,

23 Staphylococcus aureus Entero-toxins-A,B,C,D or E

especially custard or cream-abdominal filled foods, meat and meatsevere products,

low-acid

cramp,

thirst,

diarrhoea,

cold

sweats,

frozenprostration

foods, salads, cream sauces, etc. Defectively

24 Clostridium botulinus toxins  A,B,E or F

canned

medium-acid sausages,

foods;

smoked

low

or Botulism

Clostridium.perfringens

vision,

meats,muscular paralysis, death due vacuum-to respiratory failure)

packed fish, fermented food etc. Milk improperly processed or Nausea,

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(double

abdominal

canned meats, fish and gravydiarrhoea, gas formation

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pains,

stocks (Welchii) type A 26

Meat

Sterlites, fibroid tumors etc.

Skoked food

Cancer  

Diethyl stilbestrol (additive in animal feed) 27 3,4 Benzopyrene 28

Solvent extracted oil, oil cakeCarcinogenic effect Excessive solvent residue

29

etc. Food

Blood

Non-food grade or 

clot,

angiosarcoma,

cancer etc.

contaminated packing material 30

Coloured food

Mental retardation, cancer and

Non-permitted colour or 

other toxic effect.

permitted food colour  beyond safe limit 31

Oils and fats

Allergy, liver damage, increase

BHA and BHT beyond safe

in serum chloresterol etc.

limit 32

Chinese food, meat and meatBrain Monosodium

damage,

mental

products

retardation in infants

Flavoured food

Blood anticoagulant

Flavoured food

Chances of liver cancer  

Cold drinks

Anemia, enlargement of heart

glutamate(flour) (beyond safe limit) 33 Coumarin and dihydro coumarin 34 Food flavours beyond safe limit 35 Brominated vegetable oils 36

In Sulphur dioxide and sulphite

variety

of

food

as  Acute irritation of the gastro-

preservative

intestinal tracts etc.

Sweet foods

Chances of cancer  

beyond safe limit 37  Artificial sweetners beyond safe limit

Fungal contaminati 8

on 38

Aspergillus  Aflatoxins

flavusLiver damage and cancer 

contaminated foods such as groundnuts, cottonseed, etc. Ergot-infested bajra, rye mealErgotism

39 Ergot alkaloids from

or bread

(St.Anthony’s

fire-

burning sensation in extremities,

Claviceps purpurea

itching

Toxic alkaloids,

of

skin,

peripheral

gangrene)

ergotamine, ergotoxin and ergometrine groups 40

Grains (millet, wheat, oats,  Alimentary toxic aleukia(ATA) Toxins from

rye,etc)

(epidemic panmyelotoxicosis)

Moist grains

Urov

Fusarium sporotrichioides 41 Toxins from Fusarium

disease

(Kaschin-Beck

disease)

sporotrichiella 42

Yellow rice

Toxic mouldy rice disease

Foodgrains

Hepatitis

Toxins from Penicillium inslandicum Penicillium atricum, Penicillium citreovirede, Fusarium, Rhizopus,  Aspergillus 43 Sterigmatocystin from  Aspergillus versicolour   Aspergillus nidulans and bipolaris 44

  Any  Ascaris lumbricoides

raw

food

or

water   Ascariasis

contaminated by human faces containing eggs of the parasite Raw vegetables and fruits Amoebic dysentery

45 Entamoeba histolytica

9

Viral

46

Shell-fish, milk, unheated foodsInfectious hepatitis Virus of infectious Hepatitis (virus A)

47 Machupo virus

contaminated

with

faeces,

urine and blood of infected human Foods

contaminated

withBolivian haemorrhagic fever 

rodents urine, such as cereals

Natural Contaminati on 48

Drinking water, sea foods, tea,Excess fluoride causes fluorosis Flouride

49

etc.

(mottling of teeth, skeletal and

Spinach, amaranth, etc.

neurological disorders) Renal calculi, cramps, failure of 

Cottonseed flour and cake

blood to clot Cancer 

Oxalic acid 50 Gossypol 51

Bitter almonds, apple seeds,Gastro-intestinal disturbances Cyanogenetic compounds

52 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons(PAH) 53

cassava, some beans etc. Smoked fish, meat, mineral oil-Cancer  contaminated water, oils, fats and fish, especially shell-fish Toxic mushrooms

Phalloidine (Alkaloid)

Mushroom (Hypoglycemia,

poisoning convulsions,

profuse watery stools, severe necrosis of liver leading to 54

hepatic failure and death) Solanine poisoning (vomiting,

Potatoes Solanine

55

Drinking Nitrates and Nitrites

water,

abdominal pain, diarrhoea) spinachMethaemoglobinaemia

rhubarb, asparagus, etc. andespecially in infants, cancer and meat products

tumours in the liver, kidney, trachea oesophagus and lungs. The liver is the initial site but afterwards tumours appear in

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56

Polished  Asbestos (may be present in talc, Kaolin, etc. and

other organs. pulses, Absorption in particulate form by

rice,

processed

foods

containingthe body may produce cancer 

anti-caking agents, etc.

in processed foods) 57

All types of food

Acute or chronic poisoning with

Pesticide residues (beyond

damage to nerves and vital

safe limit) 58

Meats  Antibiotics (beyond safe limit)

from

organs like liver, kidney, etc. antibiotic-fedMultiple drug resistance

animals

hardening

of

arteries,

heart

disease

How to Prevent Food Adulteration?

Like any other crime, food adulteration would continue. However, everyone will wish that this menace, like any other crime, be controlled significantly. Food adulteration is common in almost all developing countries. But its ugly face is not the same everywhere. In a developing country which is at the lowest rung of the development ladder, food adulteration consists of relatively simple measures. The enforcers which mean the government, municipal bodies and all others responsible directly or indirectly with the control of food adulteration will opine that the control of this menace needs a number of  measures; only legal enforcement will not be enough. The basic requirements are providing adequate food supply at a reasonable price, setting up of realistic food standards which are enforceable and which can be attained by majority of the traders (not only the big food industries but the common agricultural producers, traders and the medium and petty food  processor), the minimum basic honesty on the part of the traders and the law enforcers, a  band of committed inspectorate staff and of course, a harsh deterrent punishment for those who commit this crime. It has been mentioned for decades that if deterrent punishment is  prescribed for food adulteration, this crime will disappear.

Food adulteration in Bangladesh

The people of Bangladesh are the victims of food adulteration. But effective measures to check this public health related problem are not in sight. They expressed concern over  mixing toxic substances with all types of fruits in the current fruit season by the

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unscrupulous traders, and asked the government to take appropriate measures to protect  public health. Food encompasses cereals, starchy tubers, meat and fish, pulses, vegetables, fruits, eggs, milk and milk products, fats and oils, and flavourings and stimulants. According to the Pure Food Ordinance, 1959 "food means any article used as food or drink  for human consumption, other than water or drug, and includes ice and aerated water, and any substance which is intended for use in the composition or preparation of food; any flavouring matter or any spice or condiment; and any colouring matter intended for use in food." The problem of food adulteration has, however, reached an alarming stage at marketing level. Hardly any category of food, whether cereal, vegetables, fish or meat, milk or milk products, fruits, pulses, fats and oils, is available in the markets unadulterated. The areas of concern for the public health scientists, members of medical profession, Consumers' Association of Bangladesh (CAB), and civil society members include: (a) using urea fertilizer and artificial colour for processing rice to make it whiter and colourful; (b) spraying harmful and spurious chemicals on fruits for early ripening, increasing shelflife, and providing attractive gloss on the skin; (c) colouring vegetables with harmful dyes for giving a look of freshness; (d) using formalin, a chemical used by the medical students to prevent dead bodies from degrading, in fish to make them appear fresh; (e) artificial colouring of pulses; (f) adulterating milk and milk products including sweetmeat; and (g) adulterating aerated water. The public health scientists and members of the medical  profession have warned that if the alarming situation of food adulteration is not checked,  people's health will be at stake, and particularly the country's future generation will suffer  from many complicated diseases and in the long run they may get intellectually disabled. There are laws to ensure supply of safe food and foodstuff for protection and preservation of public health. The Pure Food Ordinance, 1959, is intended to curb and remedy the evil of food adulteration. The Pure Food Rules, 1967, contains the details for the purpose of carrying out the objectives of the Pure Food Ordinance, 1959. The Cantonments Pure Food Act, 1966, and the Cantonment Pure Food Rules, 1967, aim at  preventing the adulteration of food in cantonments.

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The Pesticide Ordinance, 1971, including the amendments of 1980 and 1983 and the rules made thereunder in 1985 aim at regulating the import, manufacture, distribution, sale and use of pesticide chemicals. Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) Ordinance, 1985, and the rules made thereunder, relate to the testing and quality control of certain industrial and commercial products including food and drinks. The reasons for widespread adulteration of food and foodstuff in Bangladesh may be identified as follows:

First, a number of organisations such as health department, food department, BSTI, city corporations, municipalities, police department, etc. are responsible, severally and collectively, for the enforcement of food laws. But there is a lack of effective coordination among them. There even exists confusion among them regarding certain action(s) to be taken to combat adulteration of food. A report published in The Daily Star of March 13, 2004, regarding the use of formalin in fish showed that top officials of the Ministry of  Health, Dhaka City Corporation, Public Health Laboratory, and BSTI pointed fingers at one another, no-one knowing which body should combat the practice of using formalin in fish. Second, food laws mentioned above have become inadequate to cope with the advanced techniques of food adulteration. So, these laws have to be updated keeping in view the  prevailing circumstances of adulteration. Third, as far as it is known, there is no coordinating body in the government to oversee and monitor the enforcement of food laws by different organisations under different ministries. Fourth, adulteration of food affects people at all strata of the society. But political parties in the country are not normally seen raising their voice for combating food adulteration   problem. Further, the rules of procedure (ROP) of parliament contain provision for  discussing matters of public interest in the House. But hardly any discussion on this matter  of general public interest takes place in parliament. Fifth, the common people of the country are not conscious about the disastrous effects of  adulterated food and foodstuff on human health. The traders, both wholesalers and 13

retailers, face no resistance from the relevant government agencies and the people in the operation of their unholy business. The public health scientists, the agricultural scientists, the CAB and the civil society leaders have come out with their views and suggestions to combat the food adulteration  problem in the country. These include: *Since the continued use of chemical pesticides has been a matter of growing public concern for their effects on human health, wildlife, and the environment, steps should be taken to reduce chemical pesticide use in favour of integrated pest management, biological controls, and plant breeding for inherent pest resistance. *Chemicals sprayed on fruits and vegetables should be tested in properly equipped laboratories to ascertain the ingredients injurious to human health. An expert committee should closely monitor the results of these tests. Follow up action(s) should be taken on the recommendations of the expert committee. * Food laws have not only to be updated keeping in view the prevailing circumstances of  food adulteration, but their strict enforcement has to be ensured. * A high-powered coordinating body in the government may be established to oversee the enforcement of food laws and government policies in this regard. * Political parties should raise their voice, both inside and outside the parliament for  combating the food adulteration problem. *The CAB and the civil society leaders have been demanding enactment of an act for   protecting the rights of the consumers. It is learnt the draft law is awaiting approval of the cabinet. Since the proposed law will have impact on the rich and the poor, the government may solicit the opinion of the people and the media by disclosing the draft law to the print media. This will help the cabinet in according approval in principle to the draft law. Our  lawmakers may also be benefited from the public opinion in the passage of the law.

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*Public awareness about the hazardous effects of consumption of adulterated food has to  be built. The consumers, particularly the rich consumers, should restrain themselves from the buying spree. This will act as a silent resistance to the unscrupulous traders' business.

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References http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/3731/type/feature/Food_adulteration.html http://answers.encyclopedia.com/question/food-adulteration-87042.html http://www.ehow.com/about_5104539_food-adulteration.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_adulteration http://www.kreativegeek.com/2009_06_07_archive.html http://nihfw.org/Publications/material/J144.pdf  http://www.newagebd.com/2005/aug/12/met.html http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Genetically_engineered_foods.aspx http://agmarknet.nic.in/adulterants.htm http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/06/22/d50622020323.htm

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