RESEARCH WORK IN THE FIELD OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
( AIMED AT CHECKING ADULTERATION IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS )
Under The Campaign of Protection of Consumer Rights

Analytical research work (in food sector) for the benefit of the entire international community, aimed at checking adulteration in consumer products, was carried out by the president & secretary of the society ( At the society’s sister laboratory, KANPUR TEST HOUSE ) in collaboration with scientists of Harcourt Butler Technological Institute [HBTI ] and VSSD College, Kanpur. The research work done was related to the vital field of edible oils, and the results were published in the Journals relating to the edible oil field. The abstracts of the published research papers are as follows :

1. "Identification of Physically Refined Rice Bran Oil and Its Simple Detection in Other Oils" [ J. Oleo Sci., 53, (8) 413-415 (2004) ]

A B S T R A C T

The issue of purity of the edibles is becoming increasingly important in the food industry. Many branded oil products are being sold at a premium price on the basis of their purity and quality, or on the basis of their health-boosting effects. Undue financial advantage is also taken by deliberately mislabeling or adulterating the oils and presenting them as quality products in the market. In the present paper a new, very simple, rapid, reliable and highly economical qualitative technique is being reported. By means of this test, adulteration of low-priced rice bran oil in high-priced oils cab be detected within one minute. A small quantity of alkaline solution of suspected oil sample when treated with small quantity of benzenediazonium chloride solution at 0 – 5oc followed by shaking of the mixture, a brilliant orange-red colour of 5-phenylazo-g-oryzanol or 5-phenylazoferulic acid ( which is indeed a dye material ) develops within the next few seconds indicating the presence of rice bran oil adulteration in the test sample. Upto 2.5 % rice bran oil adulteration can be detected with this new techniqe.

2. “Identification of Argemone Oil and its Simple Qualitative Detection in Mustard Oil ” [ Brassica, 5, ( 3 & 4 ), 75 – 76, 2003 ]

A B S T R A C T

At present time, when unethical trading practices including adulteration have assumed alarming dimensions, quick and sure tests for judging the quality of products will prove to be very useful. In the present paper a new, very simple and highly economical colour test is reported by means of which adulteration of argemone oil in mustard oil can be detected within one minute. A few drops of suspected mustard oil sample when treated successively with a methanolic solution of salicylic acid in presence of nitric acid, and sulphuric acid followed by shaking of the mixture, a crimson red or deep orange-red colour develops within the next few seconds indicating the presence of argemone oil in mustard oil. Upto 0.1 % argemone oil adulteration can be detected with this new technique. The coloured product formed is supposed to be a nitrosalicylate salt of hydrolyzed sanguinarine.

3. “A simple non-instrumental technique to differentiate a natural mustard oil sample from a synthetically-made artificially mustard oil ”

[ J. Oil Tech. Assn. India, 34, (4) 147-148 (2002) ]

A B S T R A C T

The commercial value of the mustard oil is quite often evaluated by the common man on the basis of the degree of sharpness of the smell and pungency exhibited by the oil. The smell and pungency arise owing to the presence of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and other isothiocyanate ( R-NCS ). A simple and reliable, non-instumental technique has been developed by means of which natural ( unadulterated ) and synthetically made artificial mustard oil samples can be differentiated in the laboratory. The AITC either in pure form or in the blended form with some other oil when refluxed with an aqueous solution of sodium azide ( NaN3 ) produces 1-allyl-2-tetrazoline-5-thione (Hatt-5) which upon reaction with a neutral or very slightly acidic solution of bismuth nitrate, Bi(NO3)3, produce a characteristic deep yellow precipitate of a co-ordination complex, [Bi(att-5)2NO3]. In place of bismuth nitrate, bismuth chloride solution can also be used. The AITC content of the natural mustard oil, owing to some unknown reasons as yet, does not react with sodium azide, hence the final reaction with bismuth nitrate gives no colour reaction. However, synthetic or artificially made mustard oil samples ( to which AITC has been deliberately mixed with any other oil) easily give colour reaction with bismuth nitrate following heating with sodium azide solution. A synthetic mustard oil containing down to o.1 % AITC can be easily identified by this new technique.