Hyderabad: The North Zone Task Force has nabbed a gang in the city that has been adulterating masalas and seized about 1,000 kg of material on Monday. Inspector P Balvantaiah said that the gang was adulterating garlic and ginger paste with synthetic powders, in unhygienic conditions.
“During our raids, we found that the owner of the manufacturing unit at Lalapet in the city, M Venkateswarlu, was preparing ginger and garlic paste under different brand names,” he said.
R. P. Radha Rani, assistant professor, department of resource management and consumer science of the Home Science College, has developed a kit that will help to identify adulteration in essential commodities. She said that garlic and ginger paste is often adulterated with the pulp of the stalk of a bunch of bananas, frozen pumpkins and potatoes.
“A pure paste of garlic and ginger will not be watery, but the adulterated paste will be. This is an easy sign to identify adulterated paste. The adulterators also mix more citric acid in the paste, which is harmful to our digestive system and can lead to infection of the intestines,” she said.
The adulterated paste does not taste good and decomposes soon. Adulterators use acid to remove the peal from the ginger and garlic instead of peeling them manually. If possible, make the paste at home as required, Dr Rani advises.
General physician Dr H Kishan said that adulterated ginger-garlic paste could cause stomach infections. “Those who consume paste made from the frozen pumpkin and potato will experience spells of vomiting, loose motions and diarrhoea,” he warned.
