Holi 2018: Choose health this festive season, simple ways to spot food adulteration at home

With the festivals of colours just around the colour, we can only imagine the pace of your final preparations. As most of us get into the last leg of the festive planning, let us not compromise on the quality of food that we bring home, cook with or offer others.

This Holi, it doesn't matter if you are planning to make those sumptuous gujjiyas at home or are thinking to buy a stack full of yumminess from the nearest store; what does matter is to ensure that the raw material or the finished delicacy is pure pleasure without any trace of adulteration. For those who think that spotting adulteration is nothing short of rocket science, we bring to you some simple points listed out by the national food standards watchdog Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI) on how to spot adulteration in the commonest of ingredients, take a look!

Khoya, chenna and paneer
Boil the sample in water and add let it cool. Add two-three drops tincture of iodine, if the sample turns blue in colour it is adulterated with starch. 

Honey
One of the most commonly found adulterants in a jar of honey is sugar; in case you want to test the authenticity and the purity of your honey, follow the following:

Take a transparent glass and fill it with water and drop a spoonful of honey into it. Pure honey will not disperse, if it does, it contains sugar. 

Sugar, pithi sugar, jaggery

It is easy to detect if the sugar or jaggery is adulterated with chalk powder. In a transparent glass pour water and dissolve sugar/jaggery sample, the adulterant matter will begin to settle down at the bottom.

Sweet curd

Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid in one teaspoon of curd, mix well. If the mixture turns red, it indicates the presence of vanaspati in the curd.

Milk

Add ½ teaspoon of soybean or arhar powder to a teaspoon of milk, mix well and leave for 5 minutes. Dip a red litmus paper in it, remove after 30 seconds. If the litmus paper turns to blue it is indicative of the presence of urea in the milk sample.

Undeniably, food is intrinsic to life, something that no celebration or festivity can ever be devoid of. We bet you must be ready with jars full of snacks and traditional goodies like papads, gujjiyas and other delectable treats. This Holi, pay a little attention to what you bring home and serve at the table. 

Choose health, choose happiness! Happy Holi! 

(Inputs from Detect Adulteration With Rapid Test, FSSAI)