Spices, salt and condiments

Common adulterants

• Artificial or synthetic colours (chilli powder, turmeric powder) — Colours not permitted for the food are a regulatory violation.
• Lead chromate (turmeric) — WHO notes that spices adulterated with lead chromate to preserve colour are a source of lead exposure; lead is linked with serious health effects, including intellectual disability in children.
• Sawdust, powdered bran, brick powder, soapstone, chalk, salt — Bulking materials; not permitted ingredients.
• Papaya seeds (black pepper), light berries, argemone seeds (mustard seeds) — Substitution with cheaper or unsuitable material.
• Exhausted cloves, cassia bark (instead of cinnamon) — Lower quality than what is sold.
• Foreign resin or starch (asafoetida) — Dilutes the product; not a permitted ingredient.
• Coloured maize tendrils (saffron) — Artificial saffron coloured with dye.

Warning signs

• Powder that leaves coloured streaks in water immediately
• Gritty texture when rubbed (brick powder or sand), or soapy smoothness (soapstone)
• Floating particles on water (sawdust, bran)
• Black pepper or cloves with a kerosene-like smell (mineral oil coating, per DART's sensory tests)
• Palms turning black after rubbing cumin seeds (charcoal-coloured grass seeds)

Home checks

• Synthetic colour in chilli powder: Sprinkle chilli powder on water in a glass. Artificial water-soluble colour starts descending in coloured streaks 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.)
• Sawdust in chilli powder or other powdered spices: Add the sample to water. Sawdust and bran float on the surface; pure chilli powder settles. (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. Some genuine particles float for a short time.)
• Brick powder or soapstone in chilli powder: Put a teaspoon in a glass of water and examine the residue. Grittiness when rubbed suggests brick powder or sand; a soapy, smooth feel suggests soapstone. (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.)
• Lead chromate in whole turmeric: Add a small quantity of whole turmeric to a transparent glass of water. Pure turmeric does not leave colour; adulterated turmeric looks bright and leaves colour at once. (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. This cannot detect lead directly; only laboratory testing can measure lead content.)
• Artificial colour in turmeric powder: Add a teaspoon of turmeric powder to a glass of water. Natural turmeric gives a light yellow colour as it settles; adulterated powder gives a strong yellow. (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.)
• Papaya seeds in black pepper: Add black pepper to a glass of water. Pure pepper settles; papaya seeds float. You can also look closely: pepper is brown with a wrinkled surface and pungent taste, papaya seeds are smooth, oval and shrunken. (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.)
• Light berries in black pepper: Press the berries between fingers; light berries break easily, mature black pepper does not. DART also describes a float test in alcohol, which is not suitable for most households. (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.)
• Exhausted cloves: Put cloves in water. Genuine cloves sink; cloves from which volatile oil was extracted float. They are also smaller, shrunken and less pungent. (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.)
• Cassia bark in cinnamon: Examine closely. Cinnamon bark is very thin and can be rolled around a pencil; cassia is thicker with several layers between a rough outer and smooth inner surface. (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. Requires experience to tell apart.)
• Charcoal-coloured grass seeds in cumin: Rub a small amount of cumin seeds on your palms. If the palms turn black, adulteration is indicated. (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.)
• Argemone seeds in mustard seeds: Look closely: mustard seeds are smooth and yellow inside when pressed; argemone seeds are grainy, rough, black outside and white inside. (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. If you suspect argemone, do not eat the product and report it.)
• Foreign resin or soapstone in asafoetida (hing): Burn a small amount on a steel spoon; pure asafoetida burns like camphor. Or powder a gram, add a teaspoon of water and shake; a milky white solution without sediment indicates pure asafoetida. Shaking with water and finding earthy matter at the bottom indicates soapstone. (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. Use caution with flame.)
• Chalk in common salt: Stir a spoonful of salt in a glass of water. Chalk turns the solution white and insoluble matter settles at the bottom. (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. Some genuine salts contain a little insoluble matter.)
• Common salt vs iodised salt: Cut a piece of potato, add salt and wait a minute, then add two drops of lemon juice. A blue colour indicates iodised salt; common salt gives no blue. (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. This tells iodised from plain salt but not the iodine level.)
• Artificial saffron: Add a small quantity of saffron to a glass of water. Artificial colour dissolves rapidly; genuine saffron keeps giving colour for as long as it lasts. (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.)

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. Heavy-metal contamination such as lead cannot be judged by eye or by home tests.