Food adulteration is probably not a term that people are 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 coli

infections, shigellosis or bacillary dysentery, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, other

salmonelloses, 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

Mustard seeds

Edible oils and fats

Epidemic dropsy,

Glaucoma,

Cardiac arrest

2 Artificially coloured foreign

seeds

As a substitute for cumin

seed,

Poppy seed, black pepper

Injurious to health

3 Foreign leaves or

exhausted tea leaves, saw

dust artificially coloured

Tea Injurious to health, cancer

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4 TCP Oils Paralysis

5 Rancid oil Oils Destroys vitamin A and E

6 Sand, marble chips,

stones, filth

Food grains, pulses etc. Damage digestive tract

7 Lathyrus sativus Khesari dal alone or Mixed

in other pulses

Lathyrism (crippling spastic

paraplegia)

 Chemical

Contamination

   

8 Mineral oil (white oil,

petroleum fractions)

Edible oils and fats, Black

pepper

Cancer

9 Lead  chromate Turmeric whole and

powdered, mixed spices

Anemia, abortion, paralysis,

brain damage

10 Methanol Alcoholic liquors Blurred vision, blindness,

death

11Arsenic

Fruits such as apples

sprayed over with lead

arsenate

Dizziness, chills, cramps,

paralysis, death

12Barium

Foods contaminated by rat

poisons (Barium  carbonate)

Violent peristalisis, arterial

hypertension, muscular

twitching, convulsions,

cardiac disturbances

13Cadmium

Fruit juices, soft drinks, etc.

in contact with cadmium

plated vessels or

equipment. Cadmium

contaminated water and

shell-fish

‘Itai-itai (ouch-ouch)

disease,  Increased

salivation, acute gastritis,

liver and kidney damage,

prostrate cancer

14Cobalt

Water, liquors Cardiac insufficiency and

mycocardial failure

15Lead

Water, natural and

processed food

Lead poisoning (foot-drop,

insomnia, anemia,

constipation, mental

retardation, brain damage)

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16Copper

Food Vomiting, diarrhoea

17Tin

Food Colic, vomiting

18Zinc

Food Colic, vomiting

19Mercury

Mercury fungicide treated

seed grains or mercury

contaminated fish

 

Brain damage, paralysis,

death

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

contamination

   

20Bacillus cereus

Cereal products, custards,

puddings, sauces

Food infection (nausea,

vomiting, abdominal pain,

diarrhoea)

21Salmonella spp.

Meat and meat products,

raw vegetables, salads,

shell-fish, eggs and egg

products, warmed-up

leftovers

Salmonellosis (food infection

usually with fever and chills)

22Shigella sonnei

Milk, potato, beans, poultry,

tuna, shrimp, moist mixed

foods

Shigellosis (bacillary

dysentery)

23Staphylococcus aureus

Entero-toxins-A,B,C,D or

E

Dairy products, baked foods

especially custard or cream-

filled foods, meat and meat

products, low-acid frozen

Increased salivation,

vomiting, abdominal cramp,

diarrhoea, severe thirst, cold

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foods, salads, cream

sauces, etc.

sweats, prostration

24Clostridium botulinus

toxins

A,B,E or F

Defectively canned low or

medium-acid foods; meats,

sausages, smoked vacuum-

packed fish, fermented food

etc.

Botulism (double vision,

muscular paralysis, death

due to respiratory failure)

25Clostridium.perfringens

(Welchii) type A

Milk improperly processed

or canned meats, fish and

gravy stocks

Nausea, abdominal pains,

diarrhoea, gas formation

26Diethyl stilbestrol (additive

in animal feed)

Meat Sterlites, fibroid tumors etc.

273,4 Benzopyrene

Skoked food Cancer

28Excessive solvent residue

Solvent extracted oil, oil

cake etc.

Carcinogenic effect

29Non-food grade or

contaminated packing

material

Food Blood clot, angiosarcoma,

cancer etc.

30Non-permitted colour or

permitted food colour

beyond safe limit

Coloured food Mental retardation, cancer

and other toxic effect.

31BHA and BHT beyond

safe limit

Oils and fats Allergy, liver damage,

increase in serum

chloresterol etc.

32Monosodium

glutamate(flour) (beyond

safe limit)

Chinese food, meat and

meat products

Brain damage, mental

retardation in infants

33Coumarin and dihydro

coumarin

Flavoured food Blood anticoagulant

34Food flavours beyond safe

Flavoured food Chances of liver cancer

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limit

35Brominated vegetable oils

Cold drinks Anemia, enlargement of

heart

36Sulphur dioxide and

sulphite beyond safe limit

In variety of food as

preservative

Acute irritation of the gastro-

intestinal tracts etc.

37Artificial sweetners

beyond safe limit

Sweet foods Chances of cancer

 Fungal

contamination

   

38Aflatoxins

Aspergillus flavus-

contaminated foods such as

groundnuts, cottonseed, etc.

Liver damage and cancer

39Ergot alkaloids from

Claviceps purpurea Toxic

alkaloids, ergotamine,

ergotoxin and ergometrine

groups

Ergot-infested bajra, rye

meal or bread

Ergotism (St.Anthony’s fire-

burning sensation in

extremities, itching of skin,

peripheral gangrene)

40Toxins from

Fusarium sporotrichioides

Grains (millet, wheat, oats,

rye,etc)

Alimentary toxic

aleukia(ATA) (epidemic

panmyelotoxicosis)

41Toxins from Fusarium

sporotrichiella

Moist grains Urov disease (Kaschin-Beck

disease)

42Toxins from

Penicillium inslandicum

Penicillium atricum,

Penicillium citreovirede,

Yellow rice Toxic mouldy rice disease

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Fusarium, Rhizopus,

Aspergillus

43Sterigmatocystin from

Aspergillus versicolour

Aspergillus nidulans and

bipolaris

Foodgrains Hepatitis

44Ascaris lumbricoides

Any  raw food or water

contaminated by human

faces containing eggs of the

parasite

Ascariasis

45Entamoeba histolytica

Viral

 

Raw vegetables and fruits Amoebic dysentery

46Virus of infectious

Hepatitis (virus A)

Shell-fish, milk, unheated

foods contaminated with

faeces, urine and blood of

infected human

Infectious hepatitis

47Machupo virus

Foods contaminated with

rodents urine, such as

cereals

Bolivian haemorrhagic fever

 Natural

Contamination

   

48Flouride

Drinking water, sea foods,

tea, etc.

Excess fluoride causes

fluorosis (mottling of teeth,

skeletal  and neurological

disorders)

49Oxalic acid

Spinach, amaranth, etc. Renal calculi, cramps, failure

of blood to clot

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50Gossypol

Cottonseed flour and cake Cancer

51Cyanogenetic compounds

Bitter almonds, apple seeds,

cassava, some beans etc.

Gastro-intestinal

disturbances

52Polycyclic Aromatic

Hydrocarbons(PAH)

Smoked fish, meat, mineral

oil-contaminated water, oils,

fats and fish, especially

shell-fish

Cancer

53Phalloidine (Alkaloid)

Toxic mushrooms Mushroom poisoning

(Hypoglycemia, convulsions,

profuse watery stools,

severe necrosis of liver

leading to hepatic failure and

death)

54Solanine

Potatoes Solanine poisoning

(vomiting, abdominal pain,

diarrhoea)

55Nitrates and Nitrites

Drinking water, spinach

rhubarb, asparagus, etc.

and meat products

Methaemoglobinaemia

especially in infants, cancer

and tumours in the liver,

kidney, trachea oesophagus

and lungs. The liver is the

initial site but afterwards

tumours appear in other

organs.

56Asbestos (may be

present  in talc, Kaolin,

etc. and in processed

foods)

Polished rice, pulses,

processed foods containing

anti-caking agents, etc.

Absorption in particulate

form by the body may

produce cancer

57Pesticide residues

(beyond safe limit)

All types of food Acute or chronic poisoning

with damage to nerves and

vital organs like liver, kidney,

etc.

58Antibiotics (beyond safe

limit)

Meats from antibiotic-fed

animals

Multiple drug resistance

hardening of arteries, heart

disease

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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

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,

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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 shelf-life, 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.

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:

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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

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:

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*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.

*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

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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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