Food

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had, on September 19, 2008, notified the Prevention of Food Adulteration (5th Amendment) Rules, 2008, mandating packaged food manufacturers to declare on their product labels nutritional information to enable consumers make informed choices while purchasing. The Indian government made it compulsory to have Nutritional Labeling on all foods sold. It allows you to highlight the Nutritional Facts of your Products

The proximate analysis is a set of methods to get information about the nutritional value of food. Nutrition labeling is information found on the labels of prepackaged foods. A food label may literally be a label- a piece (or pieces) of printed paper attached to a food package- or it may compromise all or part of the printed or lithographed exterior surface of the package.

• Name
• Ingredients
• Nutritional Information
• Medicinal or Nutritional Claims
• Date Tagging
  • Use by Date
  • Best Before Date
• Storage Conditions
• Business Name and Address
• Place of Origin
• Instruction for Use
• Presentation
• Batch identifier
• Sectioning
• Standard specification:
  • Microbial limits
  • Heavy metal limits
  • The limits of pesticide residuals
  • The limits of preservatives, artificial flavouring and colouring etc.
• Food additives

Food contamination refers to the presence of harmful chemicals and microorganisms in food which can cause consumer illness.

The impact of chemical contaminants on consumer health and well-being is often apparent only after many years of processing prolonged exposure at low levels (e.g., cancer). Chemical contaminants present in foods are often unaffected by thermal processing (unlike most microbiological agents). Chemical contaminants can be classified according to the source of contamination and the mechanism by which they enter the food product.

To maintain high quality of food and comply with health, safety and environmental regulatory standards it is best to rely on food contaminant testing through an independent third party such as laboratories, certification companies or similar. For manufacturers the testing for food contaminants can minimize the risk of noncompliance in relation to raw ingredients, semi-manufactured foods and final products. Also, food contaminant testing assures consumers safety and quality of purchased food products and can prevent food borne diseases, and chemical, microbiological, or physical food hazards.

An adulterant is a substance found within other substances (e.g. food, beverages, fuels), although not allowed for legal or other reasons. The addition of adulterants is called adulteration.

Some Adulterated Foods in market

Turmeric, dals and pulses such as moong or channa – Here adulterant is Metanil Yellow and Kesari Dal (Added to enhance the yellow colour of a food substance).It’s harmful effect is that it is highly carcinogenic and if consumed over a continuous period of time it can also cause stomach disorders.

Green chillies, green peas and other vegetables – Here adulterant is Malachite Green (To accentuate the bright, glowing green colour of the vegetable). Argemone seeds (used to add bulk and weight)that it is a coloured dye that has proven to be carcinogenic for humans if consumed over a long period of time.

Mustard seeds and mustard oil – Here adulterant is Argemone seeds (used to add bulk and weight).Papaya seeds (used to add bulk)that the consumption of these could cause epidemic dropsy and severe glaucoma. Young children and senior citizens with poor immunity are more susceptible this.

Paneer, khoya, condensed milk and milk – Here adulterant is starch (used to give itthick, rich texture).It ‘s harmful effect is that it is unhygienic, unprocessed water and starch can cause stomach disorders. Starch greatly reduces the nutritional value of the ingredient.

Ice cream – Here adulterant is pepperonil, ethylacetate, butraldehyde, emil acetate, nitrate, washing powder etc are not less than poison. Pepperoil is used as a pesticide and ethyl acetate causes terribble diseases affecting lungs, kidneys and heart.

Ice cream is manufactured in extremely cold chamber where fat is hardened and several harmful substances are added. Also a kind of gum is added which is sticky and slow melting. This gum is obtained by boiling animal parts like tail,the nose,the udder etc.

Black pepper – Here adulterant is Papaya seeds (used to add bulk).It ‘s harmful effect is that Papaya seeds can cause serious liver problems and stomach disorders.

Coffee powder – Here adulterant is Tamarind seeds, chicory powder (used to add bulk and colour).It ‘s harmful effect is that it can cause diarrhea, stomach disorders, giddiness and severe joint pains.

Some other adulterants – The starch in rice powder or wheat flour, often added to thicken cream, could be identified by the blue colour produced by a dilute solution of iodine in aqueous potassium iodide. Red wine adulterated with the juice of bilberries or elderberries produced a deep blue precipitate with lead acetate. Of all forms of adulteration the most reprehensible was the use of poisonous colouring matters in the manufacture of jellies and sweets. The bright colours used to attract children often contained lead, copper or mercury salts.

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 period.

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 Any 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. 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.

The levels of the toxic elements Al, As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Sn are routinely monitored in food to protect the consumer. Increasingly, the chemical forms of As and Hg are also monitored.

Shelf Life Analysis is done to determine and validate the length of time a product will retain its quality under a certain set of expected conditions. Other names are a best before, use by or freshness date.

Food with the “use by date” must not be sold or put into circulation for consumption in anyway after reaching this date.

A Shelf Life Study should be conducted before the launch of the new product or should be done when there are any changes to a product formulation, processing operation, packaging or storage conditions.

Swab and surface sample testing is routinely used for:

• Surface contamination monitoring
• Evaluating spray drift
• Understanding the nature of particulate deposition
• Monitoring cleaning efficiency
• Answering a range of other monitoring questions

Analysis is routinely performed on a range of organic and inorganic air contaminants and a wide variety of microbiological contaminants.