Cooking often slips into routine. With work and family schedules to juggle, preparing three meals a day can feel more like a duty than a joy. But every meal is really an investment in our health. The ingredients we choose give us nourishment, energy and care. When we shift our focus from “just cooking” to “cooking for wellbeing,” we become more mindful of what goes into our meals.

And that’s important because adulteration is on the rise. Among all adulterated food items, cooking oil ranks near the top. Most of us read labels before buying oil, yet how often do we actually do a cooking oil purity test at home? Rarely.

Recently, 112 kg of rice bran was seized in Lucknow, oil worth ₹10 lakh was confiscated in Nagpur, and a seller in Ghaziabad was fined for mixing impurities into mustard oil.

What’s alarming is that all of these incidents happened in 2025. If you want to be sure of what you are consuming, this article might help.

What are the Common Adulterants found in Cooking Oil?

Adulteration of cooking oil means mixing the natural oil with chemicals or substandard ingredients. Most of these additives are used to cut costs or mimic expensive oils, but they reduce nutritional value and safety. The common adulterants are:

Cheaper edible oils: Costly oils like mustard or sunflower are mixed with palmolein, rice bran or cottonseed oil. It may look normal, but it loses nutritional value and can trigger allergies.
Non-edible or industrial oils: Some sellers mix tiny amounts of industrial-grade mineral oils to increase volume or gloss. These are unsafe and harmful to the liver and gut.
Artificial colour and flavour: Synthetic dyes and flavouring agents are added to make the oil look golden or smell fresh. For example, mixing yellow dye in fake mustard oil.
Argemone oil: This toxic oil closely resembles mustard oil and can cause swelling, breathlessness, and heart complications when consumed.
Reused or reprocessed oil: Discarded or repeatedly used oil is sometimes filtered and sold again. It contains harmful compounds that affect heart health.

What is the FSSAI Mandate for Oil Adulteration?

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set strict guidelines to ensure cooking oils sold in India are safe for consumption. For instance, mustard or rapeseed oil, commonly known as sarson ka tel or toria oil, must meet the following standards:

Extracted only from clean, healthy mustard seeds of the Brassica family (compestris, juncea, or napus varieties).
Free from rancidity, suspended particles, added colours or flavours, mineral oil, and separated water.

To ensure purity, the oil must also pass specific quality parameters:

Refractive Index (1.4646–1.4662): Measures clarity and confirms purity.
Saponification Value (168–177): Confirms the oil hasn’t been blended with cheaper or synthetic varieties.
Iodine Value (96–112): Indicates the natural fatty acid composition.
Unsaponifiable Matter (below 1.2%): Ensures minimal impurities.
Acid Value (not more than 6.0): Reflects freshness and proper storage.
Argemone Oil Test: Must be negative, as argemone is a banned toxic adulterant.
Kachi Ghani/Cold-Pressed Oils: Must contain at least 0.20% natural allyl isothiocyanate, a compound found in pure mustard seeds.
Solvent-Extracted Oils: Must be refined before consumption and have less than 5.0 ppm hexane residue.

You can refer to the full FSSAI mandate for detailed standards on other edible oils as well.

How to Check the Purity of Cooking Oil at Home?

The following are simple cooking oil tests that you can do at home:

Freezing Test

Pour a small amount of oil into a bowl and refrigerate it for about 2–3 hours. If it solidifies evenly, it’s pure. Uneven freezing or white patches suggest mixing with other oils.

Heating Test

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan. Pure oil warms up smoothly and gives off a light, natural aroma. If it starts smoking early, foams excessively, or leaves residue, it may be adulterated.

Paper Blot Test

Drop a few drops of oil onto a white sheet of paper and let it sit for a few minutes. If you see a greasy ring spreading quickly, it could be mixed with mineral oil or other low-quality substitutes. Pure oil leaves a consistent, light mark that doesn’t spread much.

Water Bubble Test

Add a small drop of oil to a bowl of water. If the drop floats as a single layer, the oil is pure. If it spreads or breaks into smaller droplets, it could indicate contamination or blending with other oils.

Smell and Taste Check

Pure oils have a mild, natural aroma that matches their type. This means mustard smells sharp, coconut smells nutty, and so on. Any harsh, chemical, or plastic-like odour indicates oil is adulterated.

What are Some Healthy Cooking Oil Tips?

Even if your oil passes the purity check, here are some cooking oil tips to keep your oil healthy and safe for consumption:

Avoid reusing oil repeatedly, as it breaks down and produces harmful compounds
Keep oil in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight. Exposure to air, makes the oil rancid faster.
Don’t mix oils, as each oil has its own smoke point and benefits.
Every oil has a temperature limit. Once it starts smoking, it loses nutrients and releases toxins. Keep your flame low to medium to protect the oil’s quality.
Buy from trusted brands with FSSAI mark and packaging date.

Which is the Most Trusted Cooking Oil Company?

When it comes to purity and trust, Sadabahar Oil has been a household name for generations. With decades of experience in producing authentic-quality oils, we offer both kachi ghani mustard oil and refined soyabean oil.

Each batch is FSSAI-certified, ensuring it meets every standard of purity and safety. If you are looking to cook with confidence and care, choose the best cooking oil brand — Sadabahar Oil.

FAQs - Frequently Asked Question

Ans: Even trusted brands can be subject to supply chain adulteration or counterfeiting. Home tests act as a simple, final check to ensure the oil you are about to use is pure, especially in light of recent incidents of adulteration. It’s an extra layer of security for your family's health.
Ans: Common adulterants include cheaper edible oils (like palmolein in mustard oil), toxic non-edible oils (like mineral oil), artificial colours and flavours, and even argemone oil, which can cause serious health issues like swelling and heart complications.
Ans: The Freezing Test is one of the easiest. Pour a small amount of oil into a bowl and refrigerate it for 2-3 hours. Pure oil will solidify evenly, while adulterated oil may show uneven white patches or separate layers.
Ans: If your oil smokes at a lower temperature than expected, it is a strong indicator of adulteration, potentially with reused or low-quality oils. Pure oil should heat smoothly and only smoke when it reaches its specific smoke point.
Ans: In the Paper Blot Test, you place a drop of oil on a white paper. A pure oil will leave a consistent, light mark that doesn't spread much. If you see a prominent, quickly spreading greasy ring, it suggests the presence of mineral oil or other low-quality substitutes.
Ans: The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) mark guarantees that the oil has been tested and meets strict government standards for purity, safety, and quality. This includes parameters like the absence of toxic argemone oil, acceptable acid levels, and proper refining for solvent-extracted oils.