Red chilli powder may be adulterated

February, 4 Kathmandu .The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken a big action against yoga guru Baba Ramdev's company 'Patanjali Foods'. FSSAI has directed Patanjali to withdraw an entire batch of red chilli powder.

This information has been given by Patanjali in the stock exchange filing. The reason behind this decision of FSSAI was that red chilli did not meet the food standards. However, FSSAI has not yet clarified whether any adulteration has been found in red chilli powder or not.

Often news related to adulterated red chilli powder comes to light. Adulterated chilli powder is also available in the market at cheap prices, which looks exactly like the real one. However, its use can cause many serious health problems. Therefore, it is important to identify the real red chilli powder.

Why did FSSAI order to withdraw the batch of Patanjali's red chilli powder?

Patanjali's red chilli powder did not meet FSSAI's food safety standards. It was reported to have a quality level issue. After this, Patanjali decided to recall 4 lakh tonnes of red chilli powder (200 gram packs) from the market. The company's Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Asthana gave this information in a statement.

What kind of adulteration can happen in red chilli powder?

According to FSSAI, adulterated red chilli powder may be adulterated with things like ground brick, artificial colour, sand, sawdust and dried tomato peels.

 What kind of health problems can occur by eating adulterated red chilli powder?

Red chilli has been a part of our kitchen for hundreds of years. It is used a lot for seasoning dal or vegetables, but with the changing times, red chilli powder has replaced red chilli.

Today, open chilli powder is available in abundance in the market. It looks just like real chilli powder. However, many times adulterators mix things like artificial colour, sand and starch in it. Eating it is harmful for health.

How can we identify at home whether red chilli powder is real or not? 

There is no need to get it tested in a lab to identify real red chilli powder. You can easily find it out at home. 

How correct is it to use red chilli powder in food?

Usually red chilli powder is used to make food items spicy. However, its excessive use is harmful for health. Eating too much red chilli can spoil the digestion, which can cause health problems like heartburn, acidity and ulcers.

Apart from this, red chilli powder contains capsaicin, which is a compound. Due to this, red chilli tastes spicy. Capsaicin can increase the blood pressure of some people. Children, elderly and sick people should avoid eating it in excess.

How can we make real red chilli powder at home?

If you want to avoid the adulterated red chilli powder in the market and want to make pure red chilli powder at home, then follow the steps given below.