Detect adulteration in oil with this 5-step FSSAI-approved test

Dr Ajay Nair, consultant, internal medicine, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Jaipur said that detecting oil adulteration requires a keen eye, and meticulous testing

Find out if your oil is adulterated (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Adulteration in food and food items is a major issue that many come across. It may not be visible to the naked eye, but the long-standing effects of such adulteration may impact one’s health and well-being. As such, one of the most common kitchen ingredients that we cannot do without on a day-to-day basis is cooking oil. It may be adulterated too. Highlighting this important issue was the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which talked about oil being adulterated with metanil yellow.

For the unversed, metanil yellow is a dye that is commonly used as a pH indicator and is known for its potency to change its colour from red to yellow. Despite not being a permitted food dye, it is used in India in grocery items like turmeric powder, dals like arhar or pigeon pea or split pigeon pea, and even oil.

Dr Ajay Nair, consultant, internal medicine, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital, Jaipur said that detecting oil adulteration requires a keen eye, meticulous testing, and a commitment to quality.

“Adulterated oils pose significant risks to health, environment, and consumer trust. To uncover such deceit, several methods can be applied such as sensory analysis. Observe the colour, odour, and taste of the oil. Any unusual or off-putting characteristics may indicate adulteration,” Dr Nair told indianexpress.com.

Additionally, perform a visual clarity test; pure oils are generally transparent. “As well as, laboratory tests are indispensable. Conduct physical tests like refractive index and specific gravity measurements to identify inconsistencies. Chemical tests, such as fatty acid composition analysis and gas chromatography, can further unveil adulterants or contaminants,” he added.

FSSAI took to Twitter to suggest a simple 5-step test to detect adulteration.

*Take a sample of 1 ml oil in a test tube.
*Add 4 ml of distilled water to it.
*Shake the test tube.
*Take 2 ml of this mixture in another test tube
*Add 2 ml of concentrated HCL to the mixture.

How to analyse the results?

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*No colour change will be observed in the upper layer of unadulterated oil.
*If adulterated, colour changes to red in the upper layer of oil.

This is not the only type of adulteration.

Is your oil adulterated with prohibited colour like metanil yellow.#Combatadulteration_1 #EatRightIndia #foodsafety #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav @MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/2qKU5SDu74

— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) July 10, 2023

Registered dietitian Garima Goyal said, “Metanil yellow is a non-permitted food colour used extensively in India and is not fit for human consumption.”

She also enlisted some other types of adulteration found in oils.

Also Read | Five reasons why you should replace regular oil with avocado oil

One common oil adulterant is tri-ortho-cresyl-phosphate (TOCP). “It is an organophosphorus substance that has been responsible for several incidents of poisoning. For detecting the presence of this compound in oil, take 2 ml of oil in a bowl and add a spoonful of yellow butter to it. If the colour of the oil doesn’t change, then the oil is pure and safe for consumption. If the colour changes to red, then the oil is impure and can be dangerous for human consumption,” said Goyal.

Oils are often adulterated (Source: Pixabay)

She also elucidated that sometimes, other oils are mixed in coconut oil. “If you have to detect the addition of other oils in coconut oil, take coconut oil in a transparent glass and place this glass in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Refrigeration will make the coconut oil solidify, but the other oils will remain as a separate layer,” said Goyal.

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