Adulteration in Pickle

Pickle Adulteration

Adulterant: Alum
Any form of aluminum sulfate could be called "alum," including toxic versions of the chemical. However, the type of alum you find used for pickling and in deodorant is potassium alum, KAl(SO4)2·12H2O. Sodium aluminum sulfate is a type of alum that is used in commercial baking powder.

Potassium alum has been used in pickles. The aluminum helps make the cell walls of fruits and vegetables sturdier, producing a crisp pickle or firm cherry. it is toxic in large doses. The current trend is to reduce reliance on chemicals to improve food texture. Alum may be used to soak some pickles, but it is no longer used in the final pickling solution.

Genuine Product : Pickles without alum
Health Effect: Lung damage

Test Method:
Title: Detection of Alum in Pickle
Principle:

Experiment: 

• Bum  to ash a sample  of the pickles,  and,  if they are free from  copper,   fuse  in  a  platinum   dish  with  sodium   car- bonate.     
• Extract   with   boiling  water,   and   after   filtering add   ammonium   chlorid   solution.    
• If alum   is  present,   a flocculent  precipitate   will form.