The adulteration of mustard oil with argemone oil causes which disease?
- A.Lathyrism
- B.Epidemic dropsy
- C.Fluorosis
- D.Minamata disease
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, epidemic dropsy. Argemone mexicana, the prickly poppy known in India as satyanashi, has seeds that look very like mustard seeds, so its oil is a classic adulterant of mustard oil. Its toxic alkaloids sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine damage the walls of small blood vessels, and the result is epidemic dropsy, marked by swelling of the legs, breathlessness, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, glaucoma and heart failure. The nitric acid test detects it. Option A is wrong because lathyrism is a paralysis of the lower limbs caused by eating khesari dal, Lathyrus sativus, over long periods, not by argemone oil. Option C is wrong because fluorosis is caused by excess fluoride in drinking water and affects teeth and bones. Option D is wrong because Minamata disease is mercury poisoning, first reported from Japan after industrial mercury entered fish, and has nothing to do with edible oil adulteration.
Read the full article: Food Preservation, Adulteration and Food Safety Notes
Practice Questions
View allFruits stored in a cold chamber exhibit longer storage life because
- A.exposure to sunlight is prevented
- B.concentration of carbon dioxide in the environment is increased
- C.rate of respiration is decreased
- D.there is an increase in humidity
Show answer
A harvested fruit is still a living tissue that keeps respiring, using up its own sugars and acids and giving off heat, carbon dioxide and ethylene.
Read the full explanation →Lathyrism in human beings is caused by the prolonged consumption of which of the following?
- A.Khesari dal
- B.Argemone seeds
- C.Metanil yellow
- D.Chicory
Show answer
Khesari dal, botanically Lathyrus sativus and also called grass pea, is a hardy pulse that survives drought and is therefore sometimes mixed with arhar dal or besan.
Read the full explanation →In the high-temperature short-time (HTST) method of pasteurisation, milk is heated to about:
- A.63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes
- B.72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds
- C.100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes
- D.150 degrees Celsius for 2 seconds
Show answer
Pasteurisation is not sterilisation: it is a mild heating that kills disease-causing organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella and Brucella and most spoilage bacteria, while leaving the taste and nutritive value of milk largely unchanged.
Read the full explanation →Lyophilisation, used to make instant coffee and to preserve vaccines, is the technical name for which process?
- A.Pasteurisation
- B.Freeze-drying
- C.Canning
- D.Irradiation
Show answer
In lyophilisation the material is first frozen and then placed under a strong vacuum, so that the ice changes directly into vapour without passing through the liquid state.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is a Class I preservative under Indian food standards?
- A.Sodium benzoate
- B.Sulphur dioxide
- C.Common salt
- D.Potassium sorbate
Show answer
Indian food standards divide preservatives into two classes. Class I preservatives are the natural ones that cooks have always used, and no limit is placed on the quantity: common salt, sugar, dextrose, spices, vinegar or acetic acid, honey and edible vegetable oils.
Read the full explanation →