Tips

The foolproof way to determine whether turmeric is genuine or fake

With just a few tips below, you can distinguish real turmeric starch from fake starch. Give it a try!

21 January, 2024

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Pure Turmeric Starch (100% Pure)

Turmeric starch is 100% extracted from fresh turmeric roots and contains a high concentration of the valuable active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin. Pure turmeric starch, after the purification process, has a high level of purity and does not contain impurities such as fibers, husks, turmeric resin, lead, etc. Using pure turmeric starch does not cause body heat, skin yellowing, pimples, or discomfort such as nausea or stomach pain.

Fake turmeric starch

Fake turmeric starch has a low concentration of the active ingredient curcumin and is also cheaper. Moreover, fake starch contains harmful substances such as metanil yellow or chromate. Prolonged use of these chemicals can affect health.

Fake turmeric starch is usually mixed with rice flour, talcum powder, or another starch. They are not toxic and do not provide any nutritional value. More dangerous, some products called “turmeric starch” are completely fake and made from a different type of powder, using additives to create smell and color.

Observation with the eyes

First, observe the color of the turmeric starch as this is the easiest way to differentiate.

Pure turmeric starch has a bright yellow color like a daisy, and the more even the color, the more it indicates that it is not mixed with impurities. Pure turmeric starch is finely filtered, so it is very smooth and fluffy, with small particles like powdered, without any clumps.

Fake turmeric starch often has brick yellow, dark yellow, milky white, or pale yellow color. Dark yellow color is because the turmeric powder has not been filtered to extract the starch, pale yellow or milky white color is due to mixing with other types of powder such as cornstarch, wheat flour. Fake turmeric starch does not have an absolute smooth and fluffy texture, it can clump or contain fibers, especially with larger particles and more fibers.

Observation with the nose and mouth

Fake turmeric starch retains its bitter taste and slightly strong, pungent odor because it still contains fibers and non-beneficial impurities.

Pure turmeric starch has the fragrant smell of turmeric and a mild bitter taste, which disappears when mixed with honey.

Mix with laundry detergent to check the purity of turmeric starch

In pure turmeric starch, curcumin is rich, and this substance will turn the solution into a dark red color in an alkaline environment. Therefore, the purer the turmeric starch, the higher the curcumin content, and the darker the solution.

As for impure turmeric starch, when mixed with laundry detergent, it will turn into a brownish-red color.

How to identify pure turmeric starch by boiling water and letting it cool

Testing turmeric starch with boiling water is one of the easiest ways to identify pure turmeric starch.

Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric starch (2g) to a glass of warm water, do not stir or mix it.

After leaving it for 20 minutes, check the mixture again.

If the turmeric starch settles at the bottom of the glass and the top water remains transparent, it is pure turmeric starch. If the water becomes cloudy and yellow, it is likely to be fake turmeric starch.

Pure turmeric starch dissolves easily in warm water. However, with this method, you should have two types of starch to compare for more accurate results.

How to identify pure turmeric starch with egg yolk and lime

This is also a simple and highly accurate method to identify true or fake turmeric starch. The test includes two steps:

First, mix turmeric starch with egg yolk to create a mixture with orange-yellow color.

Then, squeeze some lime juice into the mixture. If the mixture remains the same orange-yellow color, it is pure turmeric starch.

This is the simplest and easiest method that helps you identify pure or impure turmeric starch accurately.

Source: Giaitri.thoibaovhnt