Food adulteration is very common these days. In anything like rice, fruits, spices, butter, cheese, milk, or even mineral water, adulterations are mixed to increase the shelf life of the product.

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Even with seasonal fruits such as watermelon, adulterants are used to boost sweetness and make the pulp more red.

Erythrosine is one of the most poisonous colours used in watermelon. This is a pink dye that is commonly used for food colouring. The FSSAI, or the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, has created a thorough video on how to detect this adulterant in watermelon.

How to check watermelon adulterated with erythrosine

In the video, FSSAI recommends cutting the watermelon in half and testing the dye by dabbing a cotton ball on the pulp. If the cotton ball turns red, it indicates that the fruit has been contaminated with a chemical dye.

FSSAI asks fruit traders, food business operators not to use banned product 'calcium carbide' for fruit ripening