Food Adulteration Tests at Home: Simple FSSAI Checks

Most food sold in Kota’s markets is exactly what it claims to be. But milk can be thinned, spices coloured, sweets bulked out and grains padded with dust and stones, especially when demand peaks before festivals. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has published a set of food adulteration tests at home that need nothing more than water, a glass and a few kitchen items. This guide explains how to use them sensibly, what they can and cannot show, and what to do next.

What DART is

FSSAI’s guidance is called DART: Detect Adulteration with Rapid Test. It describes quick screening tests for everyday foods such as milk, ghee, sugar, salt, spices, pulses and grains, so that consumers can spot common, obvious adulteration. You can find it in the consumer section of the FSSAI website.

Two warnings come first:

• These are screening tests. They can show that something looks wrong. They cannot prove that food is safe, and many harmful adulterants cannot be detected at home at all.
• Do not taste anything suspicious to “check” it, and do not mix chemicals beyond what a test describes.

Milk and dairy

Milk is the food most people worry about in a city that drinks as much chai as Kota does.

• Water in milk. Put a drop of milk on a clean, slightly tilted polished surface. Pure milk tends to flow slowly and leave a white trail; milk with a lot of added water tends to run quickly without leaving much of a mark.
• Starch in milk, khoya or paneer. Boil a small amount with water, let it cool, and add a few drops of iodine tincture (sold at chemists). A blue colour suggests added starch.
• Detergent. FSSAI’s guidance includes a shaking test: shake a little milk with an equal amount of water. A thick, lasting lather can be a warning sign.

Natural milk varies by animal, season and fat content, so compare with milk from a source you trust before you draw conclusions.

Ghee, oils and fats

Ghee is a common festival purchase and a common target for blending with cheaper fats. FSSAI’s guidance describes a simple starch check with iodine for ghee and butter, similar to the dairy test above. Some adulterants in oils, such as other oils blended in, cannot be reliably detected at home; for those, a laboratory test is the only real answer. Buying packaged ghee and oil from established makers, with a valid FSSAI number you have checked (our FSSAI licence guide shows how), is the most practical protection.

Spices

• Chilli powder. Sprinkle a little on the surface of a glass of water. Pure chilli powder floats and colours the water slowly; artificial colour tends to stream down in coloured trails, and brick powder or sand settles quickly at the bottom with a gritty feel.
• Turmeric powder. Add a teaspoon to a glass of warm water and leave it. Pure turmeric leaves a light yellow colour and settles; strongly coloured water that stays bright can point to added colour.
• Black pepper. Drop a few corns into alcohol or water as described in DART: papaya seeds, a known substitute, tend to float and look shrivelled and oval.
• Whole spices in general: look for dust, stones and unusually shiny surfaces, which can mean coating or polishing.

Sweets, sugar and salt

• Silver leaf (varak). Real silver leaf tears into tiny pieces when rubbed between fingers; aluminium foil tends to roll into a small ball. FSSAI’s guidance has a simple check.
• Sugar. Dissolve a spoonful in water; chalk or other insoluble material settles at the bottom.
• Salt. Common salt should dissolve clear in water; chalk makes the solution look white.

For sweets, freshness matters as much as adulteration. Loose sweets must have a best-before date displayed on the tray, which our Diwali shopping guide explains.

Grains, pulses and fresh produce

• Grains and pulses: spread a handful on a white plate and look for stones, dirt, insects and unusual colours. Soak a little in water: some added colours come off quickly.
• Green vegetables and green peas: a cotton ball soaked in a little oil, rubbed on the surface, picks up added green colour if it is present.
• Fruit: very shiny apples can be waxed; FSSAI allows some food-grade waxes but not others. Peel or wash well if unsure.

What to do if a test looks positive

1. Stop using the food, and keep the rest sealed in its original pack.
2. Keep the bill and photograph the label, the FSSAI number and your test result.
3. Report it to FSSAI using the Food Safety Connect app or the grievance option on the FoSCoS portal. Give the shop’s name and location and the date of purchase. Food safety officers can collect samples for laboratory testing.
4. Ask the seller for a refund. If they refuse, our consumer complaint guide explains the next steps.
5. If someone feels unwell, see a doctor first.

If a packet was sold above its printed price or short in weight, our MRP overcharging guide covers those complaints.

Habits that reduce the risk

• Buy where turnover is high. Busy dairies and spice shops sell stock before it ages.
• Prefer sealed packs for ghee, oil, spices and dairy products, from makers whose FSSAI number checks out.
• Avoid unusually bright colours in spices, sweets and namkeen.
• Be extra careful before festivals, when demand for khoya, ghee and sweets peaks.
• Use your senses: a sour smell, a gritty feel, an odd aftertaste are reasons to stop.

Keep it in proportion

Home tests are a tool for curiosity and caution, not a reason to distrust every shopkeeper in Kota’s markets. Use them when something seems off, compare with a trusted product, and leave the final word to a laboratory and the food safety authorities.