Neo Planta January 2019 (Issue 2)

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Microorganisms for you

Food Adulteration

Medicinal Plants of the Month

Research Methodology— Preliminary qualitative Analysis

Facts: Surgical Dressings

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ACEREMONIUM CHRYSOGENUM

ACIDOPHILUS BIFIDUS It is a probiotic blend that is a mixture of Lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidus microflora in the composition of 5% and 90% The remaining 5% is occupied by neutral or pathogenic bacteria. Acidophilus primarily lowers the pH of the intestines making our body inhospitable for bad bacteria and Bifidobacteria are important for consistent bowel movements, to keep pathogens out of the blood stream and to process the waste.

A.bifidus produces lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide and helps curb the growth of pathogens. The lactic acid bacteria helps in reduction of cholesterol level by breaking down bile, thus restricting its re absorption. They prevent the growth of hostile yeasts like Candida albans. They also cleanse the blood stream by removing toxins and boost the immune system.

ALCANIVORAX BORKUMENSIS MICRO ORGANISMS FOR YOU

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It is a marine rod shaped bacterium which consumes hydrocarbons such as the ones present in the fuel and produces carbondioxide. It grows rapidly in environments damaged by oil and has been used to aid in cleaning more than 830000gallons of oil from the deepwater horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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AGARICUS SUBRUFESCENS It is a species of mushroom commonly known as almond mushroom, mushroom of the Sun, God’s Mushroom, Royal Sun Agaricus and himematsutake. It is an edible mushroom with a somewhat sweet taste and fragrance of almonds. It stimulates the immune system. The cap is initially hemispherical later becoming convex. The cap surface is covered with silk like fibres and develops small scales on maturity. The cap colour range from white to grayish or dull reddish brown. The margin of the cap splits with age. The flesh of the mushroom is white and has the taste of greennuts. The gills are free and not attached to the stalk, narrow and crowded closely together. The almond smell is due to the presence of benzaldehyde, benzylalcohol, benzonitrile and methyl benzoate. It contains a high level of beta glucans, the compounds that stimulate the immune system and hence it is employed in oncological therapy in Japan and Brazil.

ACREMONIUM It is a genus of the fungus used to be known as cephalosporium. The species is usually slow growing and are initially compact and moist. The hypahe is fine and hyaline and produce mostly simple phialides. The conidia is usually one celled, hyaline or pigmented, globose to cylindrical in shape and aggregated in slimy heads at the apex of each phialide. The cephalosporine, a class of beta lactam antibiotic, is derived from Acremonium

ANKISTRODESMUS

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PYRUS COMMUNIS L. Family : Rosaceae Medicinal properties: Fruits are good source of pectin help in maintaining a desirable acid balance in the body.

Recommended to patients suffering from diabetes because of low sucrose content, treat immune mediated diseases.

Phytochemicals reported from the plant:

Medicinal

Arbutin, isoquercitrin, sorbitol, ursolic acid, astragalin and tannin; Bark contains friedelin, epifridelone and beta sitosterol, phloridzin.

plants of the Month

Facts

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ROSA BOURBONIANA DES. Family : Rosaceae Medicinal properties: Fruit applied to wounds, injuries, sprains and foul ulcers.

Facts   

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ERIOBOTRYA JAPONICA Lindl Family : Rosaceae Medicinal properties: Fruit sedative, antiemetic; flower– expectorant.

Leaves are used to treat diabetes and skin diseases.

Phytochemicals reported from the plant: Lipopolysaccharides, ionone derived glycosides and triterpenes, maslinic acid, ursolic acid, eriobofuran.

Facts

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CRATAEGUS OXYACANTHA L. Family : Rosaceae Medicinal properties: Coronary vasodilator, antispasmodic, antihypertensive, sedative to nervous system, diuretic. Strengthens heart muscle without increasing the beat in the coronary arteries.

Phytochemicals reported from the plant: Oligomeric procyanidins and flavonoids.

Facts

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Food Adulteration– detection methods.

Adulteration is an addition of another substance to a food item inorder to increase the quantity of the food item in raw form or prepared form, which may result in the loss of actual quality of food item. The following are few methods to detect adulterant in the consumable items

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FOOD MATERIAL

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ADULTERANT

Detergent Water

milk

DETECTION METHODS

Shake 5 – 10 ml of milk with water formation of white bubbles indicates the presence of detergent Place a drop of milk on polished slanting surface. The drop of pure milk moves slowly leaving a white trail behind it. The adulterated milk will flow quickly without leaving a trail

Starch

Add a drop of iodine solution to a small quantity of milk. Milk containing starch turns blue.

Pure milk turns a coffee shade

Glucose

Take a tea spoon of milk.dip a strip of diastix in it . a change in color from blue to green indicates the presence of glucose in milk.

Vanaspati

Take 3ml of milk in test tube. Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid. Mix up one teaspoon of sugar. After 5 minutes examine the mixture.

The red coloration indicates the presence of vanaspati in milk.

Synthetic milk

Synthetic milk has a bitter taste ,gives a soapy feeling on rubbing between the fingers and turn yellowish on heating.

Boil a small quantity of sample with water , cool and add a few drops of iodine solution.

Formation of blue color indicates the presence of starch.

Paneer

Starch

pure ghee

Vanaspati

Take about one teaspoonful of melted butter with an equal quantity of concentrated hydrochloric acid in a test tube. Add 2 or 3 drops of furfural solution. Shake it well for one minute and let it stand for five minutes. Appearance of pink colour in the lower layer of acid means that vanaspati is present in pure ghee/butter as an adulterant

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FOOD MATERIAL

ADULTERANT

Bajra seeds

Foodgrains

Ergot

Hidden insect infestations

DETECTION METHODS

Put some grains in a glass containing 20% salt solution. Ergot will float on the surface while sound bajra seeds will sink.

To test the adulterants, take a filter paper impregnated with ninhydrin (1 per cent in alcohol). Put some grains on it and then fold the filter paper and crush the grains with hammer. Spots of bluish purple color indicate presence of hidden insect infestation.

Maida

Boric acid

Take a small amount of sample in a test tube, add some water and shake. Add a few drops of HCL. Dip a turmeric paper if it turns red , boric acid is present.

Parched rice

Urea

Rice

Sand, straw,bran

Take 30 pieces of parched rice in a test tube. Add 5 ml of distilled water. Shake the tube to mix up the contents thoroughly. After 5 minutes, filter water contents and add to it a little amount (a half of a teaspoon) of powder of soybean. Wait for another 5 minutes and then dip a red litmus paper in the mixture.

Lift the paper after 30 seconds and examine it. A blue coloration indicates the use of urea in parched rice.

Detected visually and removed

Wheat

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Earth, sand, grit, These adulterants may be detected visually and rechopped straw, moved by way of sorting, picking, and washing. bran, unhusked grain, and seeds of weeds

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ADULTERANT DETECTION METHODS

Channa or Other Dals

Kesari Dal

Gram powder

Kesari powder

Pulses

Lead chromate

Roasted Gram

Coal-tar dye

FOOD MATERIAL

ADULTERANT Sodium bicarbonate

Jaggery Washing soda

Add 5 ml of normal hydrochloric acid to a small quantity of dal in a glass. Keep the glass in simmering water for 15 minutes. Development of pink colour indicates the presence of Kesari dal. By visual detection-shape of dal.

The kesari dal is wedge shaped.

Take a little amount (a half of a tea-spoon) of the sample in a test tube with 3 ml of distilled water. Add 3 ml of muratic acid. Immerse the tube in warm water. Check the tube after 15 minutes. A violet colouration indicates the presence of Kesari powder in Gram powder.

Shake 5 gm of pulse with 5 ml of water and add a few drops of HCL. Pink colour indicates lead chromate.

The colour is obviously visible.

DETECTION METHODS Take a little amount (one-fourth of a teaspoon) of the sample in a test tube. Add 3 ml of muratic acid. The presence of sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate effects effervescence Add a few drops of HCL solution. Effervescence shows the presence of washing soda.

Metanil yellow

Hydrochloric acid added to a solution of the jaggery will turn it magenta red.

Chalk powder

Dissolve sample in water and allow settling , chalk will settle at the bottom

Urea

Dissolve in water , produces the smell of ammonia

Sugar

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FOOD MATERIAL

ADULTERANT

Asafetida

Resin and color

Black pepper

Papaya seeds

cardamom

Talc powder

Chili powder

Artificial color Saw dust

Dry red chili

Add distilled water to sample and shake well. Pure asafetida dissolve in water quickly and produce a milky white color ,but in case of adulteration the mixture turns to be coloured.

Papaya seeds are shrunken , oval, greenish brown in color Essential oil is removed from the cardamom. It is then rubbed with talc powder to look fresh. The talc powder will stick to the fingers. On tasting, if any aromatic taste is present it indicates the removal of essential oil Sprinkle the chili powder on the surface of water .Artificial color descend as colored streaks Dissolve in water saw dust will float on the surface

Rhodamine B color Take a red chili from the sample and rub the outer surface with a piece of cotton soaked in liquid paraffin. The sample is adulterated if the cotton becomes red.

Cloves

Coated with mineral oil Saw dust

Coriander powder Grass seeds Cumin seeds Iodized salt

Common salt

Salt

Chalk

Turmeric powder

Metanil Yellow color

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DETECTION METHODS

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Cloves coated with mineral oil gives a kerosene like smell.

Sprinkle the sample on water saw dust will float on the surface while the coriander powder gets sediment at the bottom Grass seeds colored with charcoal dust is used. Rub the cumin seeds on palms. If palms turn black adulteration in indicated Cut a piece of potato, add salt and wait a minute and add 2 drops of lemon juice. If iodized salt blue color will develop. In case of common salt there will be no blue colour.

Dissolve in water , water turns white and insoluble impurities will settle down Take a little amount (one-fourth of a tea-spoon) of the sample in a test tube. Add 3 ml of alcohol. Shake the tube to mix up the contents thoroughly. Add 10 drops of muriatic acid or hydrochloric acid in it. A pink coloration indicates the use of metanil yellow color in turmeric powder.

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ADULTERANT

DETECTION METHODS

Coconut oil

Any other oil

Place a small bottle of oil in refrigerator. Coconut oil solidifies leaving the adulterant as a separate layer.

Edible oil

Karanja oil

To two drops of the oil add solution of 40% antimony trichloride in chloroform. Appearance of yellow to orange color immediately shows the presence of karanja oil.

mustard oil

Argemone oil

Heat the mixture of oils with a little amount of nitric acid for two to three minutes. A red color will appear if argemone is present

Cotton seed oil

Take about 3 ml of mustard oil in a test tube.

Add 2ml of amyl alcohol in it and 1 ml of carbon di sulphide and a little amount of sulfur.

Plug the mouth of the test tube and heat it on the flame of a spirit lamp for 3 minutes. A red coloration indicates the presence of cotton seed oil.

Oil

Castor oil

Take about 1 ml of the oil , add 10ml of acidified petroleum ether and mix well. Add a few drops of ammonium molybdate reagent. Immediate appearance of white turbidity indicates the presence of castor oil.

Vanaspati

Cheap edible oils

Add a solution of washing soda to the sample of vanaspati and shake it in a test tube. If froth appears on the top, it may be inferred that cheap oil has been added to vanaspati.

Vegetable oils

Castrol oil or argemone oil

In case of Castrol oil: Take 1 ml. of vegetable oil in a clean dry test tube. Add 10 ml. of acidified petroleum ether. Shake vigorously for 2 minutes. Add 1 drop of ammonium molybdate reagent. The formation of turbidity indicates presence of castor oil in the sample. In case of argemone oil: Add 5 ml concentrated HNO3 to 5 ml.sample. Shake carefully. Yellow, orange yellow or crimson color indicates adulteration.

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FOOD MATERIAL

Coffee powder

ADULTERANT

Chicory

Gently sprinkle coffee powder on surface of water. Coffee floats over water but chicory begins to settle down

Powdered date seeds or tamarind powder

Sprinkle a little coffee powder on a piece of blotting paper and spread a few drops of potassium hydroxide solution over this paper. brown color emerges around is established.

Cereal starch

Take a small quantity (one-fourth of a tea-spoon) of the sample in a test tube and add 3 ml of distilled water in it. Light a spirit lamp and heat the contents to colorize. Add 33 ml of a solution of potassium permanganate and muriatic acid (1:1) to decolorize the mixture. The formation of blue color in mixture by addition of a drop of 1% aqueous solution of iodine indicated adulteration with starch

Iron flakes

Spread a small quantity of the sample on a piece of paper. Draw a magnet over it. Iron flakes cling to the magnet.

Leather Flakes

Prepare a paper-ball. Fire the ball and drop a little amount of the sample on it. The presence of leather flakes emits an odor of burnt leather.

Coal Tar Dye

Scatter a little amount (1 tea-spoon) of the sample on a moistened white blotting paper. After 5 minutes, remove the sample and examine the paper. A revelation of colored spots indicates the use of the dye.

Deposit the tea leaves on a moistened blotting paper. Artifi-cially dyed tea leaves will impart color to the moistened blotting paper immediately.

Tea Leaves

Artificial dye

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DETECTION METHODS

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Catechu powder

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ADULTERANT

Chalk

DETECTION METHODS

Chalk gives effervescence (gives off bubbles) with concentrated HCL.

food items

Synthetic col- To find out whether synthetic coloring ours matter is used in food items, pour 2 gm of filtered fat dissolved in ether. Divide into 2 portions. Add 1 ml. of HCL to one tube. Add 1 ml. of 10 per cent NaOH to the other tube. Shake well and allow to stand. Presence of pink color in acidic solution or yellow color in alkaline solution indicates added coloring matter.

Green vegeMalachite Take a small part of the sample and place tables green it on a piece of moistened white blotting paper. The impression of the color on the paper indicates the use of malachite green Honey Sugar solu- A cotton is dipped in honey and it is tion burnt with match stick, if it burns it indicates that the honey is pure if not it is adulterated with sugar solution Ice cream Washing Put some lemon juice ,bubbles are obpowder served on the presence of washing powder.

Lemonade Mineral acid Pour 2 drops of the lemonade soda on a soda metanil yellow paper strip. A violet coloration indicates the presence of mineral acid in soda.

Saffron Colored dried Pure saffron will not break easily like artendrils of tificial. The color dissolves in water if armaize cob tificially colored.

SweetMetanil yel- Extract color with Luke warm from food meats , icelow articles . add a few drops of conc.HCL. if cream and magenta red color develops it indicates beverages the presence of adulterant.

Vinegar Mineral acid Test with the metanil yellow indicator paper, in case, the color changes from yellow to pink, mineral acid is present. washing soda

Bura sugar

Gives off evanescence with hydrochloric acid

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Prevention of food adulteration Food adulterations occur in rural as well as urban areas. So the first option is to buy branded and ISI marked products. Even if these branded products items cost a little extra, it is worth paying the extra amount to safe guard your health. If you have purchased any branded item and doubt its quality, you can at least approach the company concerned. Always remember to preserve your grocery bills so that the company can take necessary step regarding the complaint. If any person manufactures for sale, stores, sells imports or distributes any article of food which is adulterated or misbranded, he is liable under the PFA Act to be punished with imprisonment and fined. If you find that any food is adulterated, then do not keep silent. Complain to Prevention of Food Adulteration Department in your city/town/district and report to the newspaper and make more and more people aware to take joint action.

Filing a complaint While it may not be the most practical of solutions every time to turn your kitchen into a testing lab, if you do suspect your food products to be adulterated you could try to register a complaint. Here are the different ways to go about it.

Approach a consumer rights group: You can approach a consumer rights group like CREAT who can help you with the process. They can get the suspected sample tested and make a complaint on your behalf.

Go to the Public Health Institute: You could take suspected samples and get them analysed at the state food laboratory of the Public Health Institute and register a complaint if adulteration is found.

You could also file a complaint with your zonal BBMP health officer and give the details of the provision store or hotel you obtained the adulterated foodstuff from.

The law There are two laws you need to know about in this context.

Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954, is the law that is currently in force, Food and Safety Standards Act 2006 which was supposed to repeal and replace the older one, has not yet been passed.

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Facts

Save plants and Save Earth

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Preliminary qualitative Analysis

Research methodology

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B)

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D)

E)

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B)

“Before giving up an effort just analyze how close you are to the result”

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Darani Vasudevan daraniauthor.ga

Hi readers, I am a Botanist and writer. This magazine is an outcome of the topics that interested me a lot while doing my research works. I chose this magazine as a platform for sharing many interesting facts related to plant Science and microorganisms.