All that glitters is not chandi-ka-warq WANT TO CHECK THE SILVER LEAF’S QUALITY? TRY THESE TESTS...

Come Diwali and you cannot miss the lovely display of mithai and dry fruits, decorated with silver leaf or chandi-ka-warq. According to experts, the eyecatching silvery glitter might not be silver at all, but some other toxic metal. As per food regulators, it is adulterated in multiple ways, including substitution of silver with aluminium; poor quality of silver (less than 999 purity); unhygienic preparation methods; and unsanitary conditions in workshops. One way of manufacturing silver leaf includes placing silver inside the guts of oxen and buffaloes and hammering them to the required thinness. This method, in particular, is raising eyebrows. Ignite a piece of silver leaf. If it is silver, it will turn into a ball of silver whereas aluminium will burn and leave behind ashes that are greyish black.

Wipe the silver leaf on the top of sweets of foods. If the An amendment in food regulations by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India states that silver leaf will not be manufactured using any material of animal origin at any stage of the manufacturing process. residue sticks to the fingers it is adulterated with aluminium.

Rub some silver leaf between the palms of the hand; if it is silver it will disappear, if it is aluminium it will become a small ball.

Place silver leaves in a test tube and add diluted hydrochloric acid. If it becomes turbid with a white precipitate it is silver. However, the Delhi High Court has stayed the implementation of this regulation, in response to a PIL filed by traditional manufacturers of silver leaf. ANI (With inputs from Dr Saurabh Arora)

PHOTO: ISTOCK Silver leaves are being adulterated in multiple ways