Question

Nitric acid is used to detect adulteration in which of these food items?
A. Skimmed milk
B. Ghee
C. Beverages
D. Mustard oil

Answer 1

The word adulteration refers to a process in which inferior quality of products are added to the good quality of original products in order to increase the quantity of the product. The process of adulteration decreases the quality of the product. It is also considered as the contamination of the food item by adding some additives which makes the food impure.

Complete answer: If the essential or the important contents of the food are eliminated are referred to as adulterated food. The contents which are added to the original product of food are called adulterants. The addition of adulterants to pure substances decrease the quality of the product. Different types of adulterants are added to pure substances. One of such adulterants is metallic contamination in which arsenic form is included. The other form of adulteration involves intentional contamination of sand, marble and etc. Another form of adulteration is incidental contamination which includes tin, pesticides, etc. Toxic substances such as copper and lead are used in high doses for the purpose of adulteration. The detection of adulteration in mustard oil can be done using nitric acid. The detection of the adulteration in the mustard oil can be done by mixing the mustard oil with 5ml of nitric acid. The mixture turns crimson color or yellowish-orange in color if the mustard oil is adulterated.
So, option D is the correct option.

Note: The process of adulteration has many ill effects on human beings. It particularly affects the nervous system of the body as it is neurotoxic. Another example of adulterated food is milk in which formalin or chemical additives are added to it.