Author(s): Dr. Anu Joseph, Dr. Nisha Vikraman, Aldha Gelu and Chithira KR

Abstract:
Ensuring food safety and quality is an extremely important public health concern. The presence of toxins, contaminants, excessive and harmful additives in food items can affect consumer’s health. Foods may be adulterated with non-food material or inferior quality product. Consumption of adulterated foods could lead to disease outbreaks of epidemic proportions. Buying from a reliable and reputed source, careful checking of foods before purchase and insisting on certified brands will all minimize the risk of food adulteration. The analysis of raw or processed samples helps achieve food safety, quality and better nutrition. The present study was conducted to test for the presence of adulterants in commonly consumed food ingredients such as cereals, pulses, fats and oils, sugars, masala powders, milk etc. selected from different outlets such as ration shop(public distribution), supplyco (government outlet), supermarkets, provision shops in the urban and coastal areas of Ernakulam to compare the quality of products. Physical and chemical tests as per FSSAI guidelines were conducted to test for the type of adulterants, prohibited colours, other additives etc. in selected food samples. Commercially available food adulteration detection kits were also used. Results indicated that instances of adulteration were more rampant in the urban and in the supplyco and provision shop outlets. It was found that the commodities sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, asafoetida were adulterated. Samples of milk, bottled water tested were relatively free from commonly detected adulterants. It was seen that food commodities purchased from supermarkets had a longer shelf life.