Food Adulteration Testing | NABL Accredited FSSAI Lab — India

Food adulteration testing identifies substances illegally added to food to increase weight, volume, or apparent quality, and detects the removal of nutritional components that degrade product integrity. Auriga Research is a NABL-accredited, FSSAI-approved laboratory providing comprehensive adulteration testing for dairy, spices, honey, edible oils, and other food categories from our laboratories in Bangalore, Delhi, Gurugram, Baddi, and Bahadurgarh.

The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 mandate that food must be free from adulterants. FSSAI conducts surveillance through state food safety officers who collect random samples from the market. Products found adulterated face seizure, destruction, criminal prosecution, and licence cancellation. Our testing provides manufacturers and importers with the evidence they need to confirm compliance before market entry.

We test using validated analytical methods including HPLC, GC-MS, FTIR spectroscopy, IRMS (isotope ratio mass spectrometry), ICP-MS, DNA barcoding, and classical wet chemistry methods prescribed by FSSAI and BIS.

Adulteration Testing by Food Category

Milk & Dairy Adulteration

Urea adulteration — DMAB colorimetric / FTIR Detergent and soap — methylene blue, surface tension Starch and thickeners — iodine test, HPLC Synthetic milk detection — protein profiling Melamine — LC-MS/MS (regulatory limit: 2.5 ppm) SNF depression and fat substitution — Gerber method Neutralisers (soda, lime) — titratable acidity Formalin (preservative) — colorimetric reaction

Spice & Condiment Adulteration

Sudan dyes (I–IV) in chilli products — HPLC-DAD Lead chromate in turmeric — AAS / ICP-MS Metanil yellow and artificial colours — HPLC-DAD Starch and chalk powder — gravimetric / microscopy Brick dust and iron filings — acid insoluble ash, magnet test Seed adulteration — microscopy and DNA barcoding Mineral oil in spices — GC-MS

Honey Adulteration

C4 sugar adulteration (corn / cane syrup) — IRMS (C3/C4 isotope ratio) Rice syrup and beet syrup — NMR profiling HMF (Hydroxymethylfurfural) — HPLC, limit ≤40 mg/kg Diastase activity — Schade method (limit ≥8 DN) Moisture content — refractometer Total reducing sugars and sucrose content

Edible Oil Adulteration

Argemone oil in mustard oil — TLC (paper spot test + HPLC) Mineral oil / paraffin oil admixture — GC-MS Cheaper oil blending — fatty acid profile by GC-FID Rancidity markers — peroxide value, acid value, FFA Adulteration in ghee — Baudouin test (sesame oil), phytosterol by GC Trans fat adulteration in vanaspati — FTIR

Turnaround Time

Category	Standard TAT	Express
Milk adulteration panel	3–5 business days	Available
Spice dyes (Sudan, metanil yellow) by HPLC	5–7 business days	Available
Honey C4 sugar by IRMS	7–10 business days	—
Honey NMR profiling	10–14 business days	—
Edible oil fatty acid profile	5–7 business days	Available

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is food adulteration and what does FSSAI say about it?

Food adulteration is the addition of inferior, harmful, or foreign substances to food to increase quantity or reduce cost, or the removal of essential nutrients. FSSAI defines adulterated food under Section 3(1)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011. Selling adulterated food is a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment up to 6 months and fines up to Rs 1 lakh for first offences; repeat offences carry imprisonment up to 7 years.

How is milk adulteration detected?

Milk adulteration is detected through a battery of tests. Urea adulteration: DMAB (dimethylaminobenzaldehyde) colorimetric reaction or FTIR spectroscopy. Detergent/soap: methylene blue reduction or surface tension measurement. Starch: iodine test (blue-black colour indicates starch). Neutralisers (soda): rose indicator paper turns red in alkaline adulterated milk. SNF (solid-not-fat) depression: Gerber butyrometer and lacto-densimeter. Synthetic milk: absence of normal casein proteins by electrophoresis. Melamine: HPLC or LC-MS/MS. Auriga Research performs the FSSAI-prescribed milk adulteration panel for dairy industry compliance.

What adulterants are commonly found in spices and condiments?

Common adulterants in spices include: Chilli powder — brick dust, Sudan dyes (Sudan I–IV), artificial red colours. Turmeric — lead chromate (metanil yellow), chalk powder, starch. Cumin — grass seeds, charcoal dust. Black pepper — papaya seeds, dried berries. Coriander powder — dung powder, sand. Curry powder — starch, inferior flour. Testing methods include microscopy, HPLC for synthetic dyes (especially Sudan dyes), atomic absorption spectroscopy for lead chromate, and DNA-based species verification for seed adulteration.

Can laboratory testing detect honey adulteration?

Yes. Honey adulteration (adding high-fructose corn syrup, rice syrup, or beet syrup) is detected by: C4 Sugar Ratio Analysis — C3 vs C4 plant carbon isotope ratio by IRMS (isotope ratio mass spectrometry), which detects corn and cane sugar addition above 7%. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) profiling — detects sugar syrups at lower levels than IRMS and identifies the adulterant source. HMF (Hydroxymethylfurfural) — elevated levels indicate overheating or old honey. Diastase activity — low activity may indicate overheating or adulteration. FSSAI mandates C4 sugar ratio testing for honey under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011.

What is the turnaround time for food adulteration testing?

Basic adulteration screening (milk panel, dye tests) takes 3–5 business days. Comprehensive panels including HPLC for synthetic dyes, IRMS for honey, and LC-MS/MS for melamine take 7–10 business days. Express service is available for urgent FSSAI compliance and export shipment clearance within 2–3 days for most parameters.

How is edible oil adulteration detected — including argemone oil and mineral oil?

Edible oil adulteration is detected through a multi-technique workflow. Argemone oil in mustard oil (a chronic dropsy hazard banned under FSSAI) is screened by the nitric acid paper spot test for rapid presumptive detection and confirmed by HPLC quantification of sanguinarine — the marker alkaloid. Mineral oil / paraffin oil admixture is detected by GC-MS in the unsaponifiable fraction, where the characteristic hydrocarbon envelope is absent in pure vegetable oils. Adulteration with cheaper edible oils (e.g. palm oil added to mustard, soybean blended into sunflower) is identified by GC-FID fatty acid profiling — each oil has a characteristic fatty acid signature (linolenic, oleic, erucic, palmitic, etc.) and any deviation from the reference monograph profile of the declared oil indicates blending. Additional confirmation tests include the Baudouin test for sesame oil in ghee, phytosterol GC profiling for vegetable-oil presence in dairy fat, and FTIR / NIR for rapid bulk screening. All edible oil adulteration testing follows the FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 limits.

Are NABL-accredited test reports accepted by FSSAI enforcement officers and state food safety authorities for regulatory proceedings?

Yes. Test reports issued by an NABL-accredited (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) and FSSAI-notified food laboratory carry evidentiary weight under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and are accepted by FSSAI enforcement officers, state and district designated officers, and food analysts for regulatory proceedings — including licensing decisions, surveillance sampling responses, prosecution defence, and appeals to FSSAI Adjudicating Officers and Food Safety Appellate Tribunals. Auriga Research holds both NABL accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and FSSAI notification, so our certificates of analysis are routinely accepted in adjudication and appellate proceedings under the FSS Act 2006. We can also issue reports on the prescribed FSSAI Form-IX format where required and our analysts are available for cross-examination as expert witnesses if a matter proceeds to formal adjudication.

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