Is your Besan adulterated with paralysis-causing Khesari flour?

Think of desi Indian tea-time snacks, and you can’t neglect pakodas and cheelas. But, have you ever thought that the besan (gram flour) used to make these crunchy snacks could lead to paralysis? Shocked? Well, that is true and this has been recently highlighted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) team which has been running an initiative on social media called #DetectingFoodAdulterants. In this initiative, every week they talk about the adulteration of regular kitchen items and how you can check them at home. This week, they are talking about besan (gram flour), which is often adulterated with Khesari Dal flour. Read below to know the simple test to check adulteration and what are the side effects of consuming khesari dal. (Image: istock)

As the name suggests, it’s a variety of lentil that was banned in 1961. According to experts, it’s a dangerous dal that could cause lathyrism, a condition that could lead to paralysis of the lower body and even cause numbness in the limbs and spine. As per food historians, before 1961, khesari dal was popular in India, and was accepted as a form of payment in areas where it formed a significant part of the agricultural economy. (Image: istock)

Also Read: FSSAI shares simple test to check black pepper adulteration

1. Take 1 gm of besan in a test tube

2. Add 3ml of water to extract plant pigment into the solution.

3. Add 2ml of concentrated HCL and shake the content and let the mixture stand

4. No colour change will be observed in the test tube with unadulterated besan. The test tube containing adulterated besan changes its colour to pink. (Image: istock)

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