3 days ago
Adulterated mustard oil seized in Ghaziabad: How to check oil purity at home
Adulteration of mustard oil, a staple in North Indian households, is on the rise, prompting crackdowns by food safety departments. A recent complaint led to an inspection in Ghaziabad, revealing potential adulteration. A simple home test using nitric acid can detect the presence of toxic argemone oil, a known adulterant with a history of causing epidemics in India.
Mustard oil is one of the most commonly consumed oils in North Indian households. Unfortunately, this nutrient-rich oil is now being adulterated. As per ANI report, Ghaziabad food safety department recently cracked down on adulterated edible oil, after receiving a complaint about mustard oil adulteration.
As per the report, during the inspection, the team collected samples of mustard oil, and sent them for further testing to determine the extent of adulteration.
Also Read
:
Are your mustard seeds adulterated with toxic argemone seeds?
The inspection was made after receiving a complaint, where the complainant, alleged that he experienced health issues after consuming mustard oil purchased from a local vendor.
How to check adulteration at home
In a
YouTube video
, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India once shared how to check if your mustard oil is adulterated with argemone oil.
According to the video, all you need to do is, take a sample of 5 ml of mustard oil in a test tube, add 5 ml of nitric acid in the test tube. Shake the test tube gently, The unadulterated mustard oil will show no colour change in the acidic layer. An orange yellow to red colour will develop in the acidic layer in the adulterated mustard oil.
According to the video, argemone oil contains sanguinarine, a toxic polycyclic salt. The video states, the reaction is very sensitive and the intensity of colour formed is due to the formation of sanguinarine nitrate. As per the
Neurology India
, the first four cases of argemone oil poisoning from Bombay were reported in 1877. Various epidemics have also been reported in India from Calcutta (1877), Assam, Bihar, Eastern U.P, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat and Delhi since then.
One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
