Food grains and flour

Common adulterants

• Extraneous matter (dust, pebbles, stones, straw, weed seeds, insects, rodent hair) — Indicates poor cleaning or storage.
• Dhatura seeds — Named in DART as a contaminant of food grains.
• Excess bran in wheat flour — Lowers quality; flour not as described.
• Added colour; turmeric on parboiled (sella) rice; rhodamine B on ragi — Colour used to disguise or enhance appearance; rhodamine B is a dye that is not a permitted food colour.
• Sand, soil, insects, lumps, rodent hair in atta, maida and suji — Indicates poor hygiene.
• Kernel bunt (fungal-damaged grains) — Damaged grains with a dull, blackish look and a rotten-fish smell, per DART.
• Sand or talcum in sago — Not a permitted ingredient.

Warning signs

• Visible stones, dust, weevils or insects
• Dull blackish grains with a rotten-fish smell
• Colour that rubs off on cotton from ragi
• Gritty feel when sago is placed in the mouth

Home checks

• Extraneous matter in grains: Spread a small quantity on a glass plate and look for dust, pebbles, straw, weed seeds, damaged or weeviled grains, insects and rodent hair. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration.)
• Excess bran in wheat flour: Sprinkle a spoon of flour on the surface of water in a transparent glass. Pure flour does not show excess bran floating on top. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration. Whole-wheat atta naturally contains bran.)
• Added colour in grains: Mix 2 teaspoons of grain with water in a transparent glass. Pure grains leave no colour; coloured grains release it immediately. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration.)
• Turmeric colouring on sella rice: Sprinkle a small amount of soaked lime (chuna) on a teaspoon of rice. Pure grains do not turn red; coloured ones turn red. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration.)
• Rhodamine B on ragi: Rub the outer surface of ragi with a cotton ball soaked in water, and separately in vegetable oil. If the cotton takes up colour, DART says this indicates rhodamine B. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration.)
• Sand or talcum in sago (sensory): DART notes that a gritty feel when a little sago is placed in the mouth may indicate sand or talcum. (Indicative only. A household test can give a false positive or false negative, and it cannot tell you the amount present or whether the food meets the legal standard. Only testing by an accredited laboratory confirms adulteration. Do not taste if you suspect contamination.)

Laboratory testing

To confirm adulteration, a sample must be analysed by a food testing laboratory using standard methods. A purchaser can have food analysed by a Food Analyst for a fee under section 40 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, but must tell the seller at the time of purchase; you can also report to the food safety authority, whose officers draw official samples. See the Food testing page for official lab directories. Fungal toxins such as aflatoxin cannot be assessed by eye; WHO notes that staples such as maize and peanuts can carry them.