Adulterant: a Chemical Substance
Abstact 1) Introduction
An adulterant is a chemical substance which should not be contained within other substances, such as food, beverages, fuels, for legal or other reasons. The addition of adulterants is called adulteration. The word is appropriate only when the additions are unwanted by the recipient. Otherwise the expression would be food additive. Adulterants when used in illicit drugs are called cutting agents, while deliberate addition of toxic adulterants to food or other products for human consumption is known as poisoning.
The addition of adulterant may be intentional or accidental. But generally the adulterant addition is intentional. The major reason for the intentional addition of these adulterants is for increasing the profit margin on the expense of the health of the public or consumer.
These days rarely any food item is spared from the malicious practice of food adulteration. Almost every food-item from milk to fruits, from vegetables to grains is added with adulterants. Some adulterants enter via agricultural steps, as they are not cleaned well. These are visible adulterants like stones, leaves, soil, sand and dust to name a few. The consumer can clean them and this makes it less harmful. Other adulterants that are intentionally added are invisible or they are made invisible by astutely camouflaging with the color or texture. They are generally harmful for the health and most of them lead to serious health problems like cancer.
Adulterant reduces the quality of the food and this weakens the health of the one who consumes them, thereby increasing the cost for healthcare. Regular intake of an adulterated food can lead to many health problems. From curable to incurable disorders and diseases can ruin ones lifestyle and life as well.
Common adulterants are lower grade harmful substances like the use Argemone oil mixed in mustard oil. Other leaves and saw dusts are adulterant when they are mixed with the original tealeaves. Many toxic
An adulterant is a chemical substance which should not be contained within other substances, such as food, beverages, fuels, for legal or other reasons. The addition of adulterants is called adulteration. The word is appropriate only when the additions are unwanted by the recipient. Otherwise the expression would be food additive. Adulterants when used in illicit drugs are called cutting agents, while deliberate addition of toxic adulterants to food or other products for human consumption is known as poisoning.
The addition of adulterant may be intentional or accidental. But generally the adulterant addition is intentional. The major reason for the intentional addition of these adulterants is for increasing the profit margin on the expense of the health of the public or consumer.
These days rarely any food item is spared from the malicious practice of food adulteration. Almost every food-item from milk to fruits, from vegetables to grains is added with adulterants. Some adulterants enter via agricultural steps, as they are not cleaned well. These are visible adulterants like stones, leaves, soil, sand and dust to name a few. The consumer can clean them and this makes it less harmful. Other adulterants that are intentionally added are invisible or they are made invisible by astutely camouflaging with the color or texture. They are generally harmful for the health and most of them lead to serious health problems like cancer.
Adulterant reduces the quality of the food and this weakens the health of the one who consumes them, thereby increasing the cost for healthcare. Regular intake of an adulterated food can lead to many health problems. From curable to incurable disorders and diseases can ruin ones lifestyle and life as well.
Common adulterants are lower grade harmful substances like the use Argemone oil mixed in mustard oil. Other leaves and saw dusts are adulterant when they are mixed with the original tealeaves. Many toxic
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