How to check for adulteration in Sugar?

Common adulterants added to sugar are plastic crystals, urea, washing soda, and chalk powder. The latter two are added to powdered sugar while the first two to sugar crystals.

Chalk is added to sugar to improve its colour and increase its weight. Unless chalk itself is adulterated, the one added to sugar will consist purely of Calcium Carbonate. The chalk itself is not very harmful in small quantities, but once ingested, the calcium may bond with oxalates inside the digestive system and create Calcium Oxalate crystals which may get stuck in the kidney as kidney stones.

Urea is a white crystalline powder. It is majorly Nitrogen and used actively in agriculture. In our bodies, urea is formed in small quantities in the liver. Kidneys then eliminate it into the bladder. An excess amount of urea means a high load on kidneys. In high doses, it can affect mental health adversely.

Washing soda is not meant to be ingested and can cause diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting.

Plastic is not food. It can cause cancer. It is widely used for adulteration in the urban hubs like Hyderabad (especially old Hyderabad), Patna, Delhi, and Bengaluru. You can validate that by searching for news snippets on Google.

Calcium Carbonate is insoluble in water. Add a little sugar to water and wait for 10 minutes. Any chalk, if present, will settle down as an undissolved white powder.

Urea is soluble in water; however, once dissolved, it releases a distinct odour of ammonia. Dissolve a little amount of sugar in water and smell it to check for the presence of urea.

Add sugar to water and shake it till it dissolves completely. If washing powder is present, it will froth.

Plastic is insoluble in water. Add a pinch of sugar to cold water and dissolve it. Any undissolved particles will either be plastic or any other impurities.

To be on the safer side, avoid buying loose sugar from the market.

Stay Informed. Stay Safe!