Adulterant
Adulterant
Adulterant (/əˈdʌltərənt/) is a substance found within other substances such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, fuel or other chemicals that compromises the safety or effectiveness of said substances. The term adulterant comes from the Latin word adulterare, which means to corrupt.
Adulterants may be intentionally added to more expensive substances to increase visible quantities and reduce production costs, or they may be unintentionally added as a result of poor quality control or lack of proper hygiene practices during product creation.
Types of Adulterants
There are two types of adulterants:
- Intentional Adulterants - These are typically added to cheat the consumer or compete in the market. Common examples include melamine in milk, lead chromate in turmeric, and Sudan dye in chili powder.
- Unintentional Adulterants - These are substances that get mixed in a product due to ignorance, negligence or lack of proper facilities. Examples include dust, stones in food grains, and metallic pieces in machinery processed food.
Health Effects
The health effects of consuming adulterated products can range from minimal impact to severe health problems such as kidney damage, cancer, and even death. The severity of the health effects depends on the nature and quantity of the adulterant and the duration of consumption.
Legal Aspects
In many countries, the act of adulterating products is considered illegal and is punishable by law. Various Food Safety Regulations have been established worldwide to combat the issue of food adulteration.
See Also
References
External Links
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Adulterant
- Wikipedia's article - Adulterant
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