You can test for blue adulterants in ginger by mixing a sample in water. The blue pigment will settle at the bottom of the glass or leave a blue trail as it dissolves.
Concept:
Adulteration is the act of adding inferior substances to food to improve its appearance or weight.
• Visual Adulterants: Used to mask defects or make a product look fresh/clean.
• Dry Ginger: Often faces discoloration or yellowing during the drying process.
Step 1: Understanding the purpose of the adulterant.
Natural dry ginger often has a pale yellow or light brown hue.
Consumers often mistakenly equate "whiteness" with purity and quality.
Step 2: Identifying Ultramarine Blue.
Ultramarine blue is a synthetic inorganic pigment.
It is applied to dried ginger to give it a bright, white, bleached appearance.
Step 3: Determining the health risk.
This pigment is not a permitted food additive for this purpose.
Therefore, its presence in ginger is classified as intentional adulteration.
Final Answer: (B)