Test for Adulterants
Cultivator Phyto Lab offers various tests in identifying adulterants in various food. Food adulteration considers not only the intentional addition or substitution or abstraction of substances that adversely affect the nature, substances, and quality of foods, but also their incidental contamination during the period of growth, harvesting, storage, processing, transport, and distribution. Although simple forms of adulteration like the addition of water to milk and colored starch to turmeric are still prevalent, newer forms and types of adulteration are emerging such as urea in puffed rice to improve texture; injecting color into poor quality fruits and vegetables; addition of urea, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, formaldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide to increase shelf life of milk, etc. Many adulterants might prove to be a hazard to our health especially if consumed over a long period.
Edible Oils
Castor Oil, Mineral Oil, Argemone oil, Sesame oil, Cottonseed oil, linseed oil, Karanja oil, Kusum oil, Oil-soluble colors, Aflatoxins, Pesticide residues, and cheaper vegetable oils.
Spices
Non-permitted colors (Sudan red, Malachite green, Rhodamine B), Mineral oil coating, Husk starch, Foreign seeds/resins, Extraneous matter.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Saccharin, Dulcin, Brominates vegetable oil, Non-permitted colors, and excessive permitter colors.
Confectionery, sweets, savories
Non-permitted colors, Aluminum foil, Permitted color more than the permitted limit.
Coffee
Chicory, Date or tamarind seeds, Artificial color.
Tea
Colour, Iron filings, Foreign leaves
Cereals and Cereal Products
Fungal infestation, pesticide residues, sand, dirt, foreign starch, powdered chalk, iron filings.
NEWS AND BLOGS
Find up to date information, news releases, and corporate publications for Cultivator Phyto Lab customers
Food Adulterants: The Silent Killer Hiding in the Plain Sight
Food is at the epicenter of life. The times may have changed but the importance of food has remained. What scares us is that when food is impure or contaminated, it may be life-threatening as well. This puts the consumer in a constant dilemma of what to eat and what...
How to test water?
At least one color disk test kit is available for fluoride. However, portable digital colorimeters are often preferred because of concerns over accuracy. Ackvo Caddisfly, a testing system, recently described a colorimetric fluoride test that can be read by a smartphone app. Portable field testing options for arsenic are limited; this contaminant is best…
Factors to consider while choosing the Lab
Choosing an analytical testing laboratory or the type of test methods to confirm or identify the condition of a food or beverage product is not an easy task. Decisions need to be made on the types of testing that are appropriate or necessary