Like a lot of vegetables and fruits grown across India, sweet potato is used widely across India to create dishes that are sweet or savoury. Especially valued during the festive season, sweet potato is a simple root vegetable that is packed with nutrition and is considered to be a sattvik ingredient. And yet, as is the case with many foods today, sweet potatoes do tend to get adulterated which can lead to serious health problems.
Highlighting this issue in a recent post on social media, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) alerted the public to be careful while consuming this vegetable in its adulterated form. Since sweet potatoes become more easily and widely available in winter months, and is even eaten as a street snack in North India, it is very important for people to know how to check if the vegetable has been adulterated or not.
Video Credit: YouTube/Chef Ranveer Brar
For those unaware, food adulteration in the case of fruits and vegetables usually occurs with dyes. Most people tend to look for fruits and vegetables that have a shiny and bright exterior, with the colours associated with the produce being a major attraction. Sweet potatoes, which tend to have a natural brownish purple hue, are often coloured with an industrial dye called Rhodamine B. This chemical, if consumed, can cause food poisoning, infections and other serious health issues.
Keeping this and the fact that sweet potatoes are easily available now in mind, the FSSAI has released an informative video about how to identify if your sweet potatoes have been adulterated with Rhodamine B industrial dye. The video reveals that you can check if the sweet potatoes are adulterated with a few simple tips:
1. Dip a cotton ball in water or vegetable oil.
2. Take a sweet potato and rub this cotton ball on the outer surface of the veggie.
3. If the cotton ball remains clean despite the rubbing, your sweet potato is safe for consumption and unadulterated.
4. If the cotton ball turns reddish or violet around the part where you are rubbing it, then it has been adulterated with Rhodamine B.
It is important to note that Rhodamine B is also used to colour other foods, like ragi or finger millet which has a colour similar to sweet potatoes. So, knowing how to identify this food adulteration is very important. The next time you are buying sweet potatoes, don’t forget to try out these tips and check for sweet potato adulteration before you buy or consume the vegetable.