Fennel Adulteration Check: Fennel is being adulterated indiscriminately in the market. You can identify real and fake fennel by simple test of color, aroma, taste and water. Know the easy home remedies to avoid adulterated fennel and necessary precautions while purchasing.
Adulterated Fennel Identification: Fennel is used in Indian kitchen not only for taste but also for digestion and health. But with increasing demand, adulteration in fennel is also increasing rapidly in the market. Many times fennel is sold cheap, of poor quality or colored with chemicals, which can be harmful to health. In such a situation, it is important that you learn to identify between real and adulterated fennel. Today here we have given tips to identify adulteration in fennel.
Why is fennel adulterated?
Good quality fennel is expensive. For more profit, some traders sell old fennel by polishing it with chemicals or add fake fragrance and color to it. Sometimes weight is increased by mixing similar seeds with fennel.
identify by color
The color of real fennel is light green or yellow. If the fennel looks very bright, dark green or of very uniform color, then be alert. Such fennel may have artificial colors mixed in it.
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Test by rubbing it on your hand
Rub some fennel seeds on your palm. If green or yellow color sticks to the hand, then understand that chemical dye has been mixed in it. Real fennel does not leave color when rubbed.
easy water test
Add fennel in a bowl of lukewarm water. If the color of the water starts changing or color is seen floating on top, then the fennel is adulterated. Pure fennel does not leave color in water.
Identify by smell also
The aroma of real fennel is light, sweet and natural. If the smell of fennel is strong, chemical like or perfume like, then it may be prepared with fake flavour.
identification by taste
Try chewing a little fennel. The taste of real fennel is sweet and cooling, whereas adulterated fennel tastes bitter or strange.
Take these precautions while buying fennel
- Avoid buying very cheap fennel
- Better to take packed and branded fennel rather than loose fennel.
- Bring it home and keep it in an airtight container.
- Do not use too old fennel
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