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Chandi ka warq, or silver leaf used to decorate sweets, could be toxic
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Wednesday, 01 November, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Dr Saurabh Arora
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Come Diwali and one cannot miss the lovely display of mithai and dry fruit decorated with silver leaf or chandi-ka-warq. Passers-by look at their rich glitter and are tempted to enter the shop and buy these food products. However, they are probably unaware that the eye-catching silvery glitter might not be silver at all but some other toxic metal. While other metals are considered to be toxic for human beings, silver is inert and not active and so it is not harmful to the human body when ingested in miniscule amounts.
Uses of Silver Leaf
In India, silver leaf has been used for centuries on foods as well as an ingredient in Ayurvedic medicines. In Ayurveda, silver is considered to be antimicrobial and this is the primary reason it is used in medicines and to cover foods as it prevents the growth of bacteria. By preventing microbial contamination, silver helps to preserve foods and extend shelf life.
Chandi-ka-warq has also been a part of Indian food culture since a long time even though it has no odour or taste. It is primarily used only for garnishing to enhance the appeal of foods so they look opulent which enhances their stature. Shahi tukra, korma, biryani, kebabs and even sweet and desserts like barfi, phirni, sewain, dry fruits as also paan were covered in silver leaf as luxurious cuisine offered to Nawabs of Awadh and in Mughlai preparations. Till this day it is used to cover betel nut (supari), cardamom (elaichi) and in saffron (kesar) sharbat. In fact the silver covered sweets are even offered to deities in temples.
Adulteration can be Hazardous
In modern day India, adulteration often raises its ugly head during the festive season and even the much coveted silver leaf has not been spared from adulteration. During festivals, food regulators have more often than not detected adulteration in sweets and sweet ingredients including adulteration in silver leaf. Not only is the silver used in chandi-ka-warq of poor quality but there is a possibility that it has not been prepared hygienically.
Silver leaf that is processed in unsanitary conditions is a cause for worry as it can become contaminated and so poses a risk of food-borne disease. However, a major issue is the lack of purity of the silver that is used to make silver leaf. Samples that have been tested are sometimes found to contain traces of heavy metals like nickel, lead, copper, chromium, cadmium and manganese. When ingested frequently, these heavy metals can cause health hazards as metals remain in the body and are not digested. Tests conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in some states in India, found that silver leaf is being increasingly adulterated with the cheaper aluminium because silver is an expensive metal. Aluminium is a hazardous metal that accumulates in the body tissues and the bones and can even enter the brain.
Manufacturing Process of Silver Leaf
What is also causing distress to some consumers is the method used in making silver leaf. In some regions of India, the thin sheets are made by hammering a leather pouch containing silver strips on a granite stone. In other regions, the silver is placed inside the guts of oxen and buffalo and hammered to the required thinness. Though manufacturers say that intestines are treated with herbs which prevent them from leaving any part of the intestines on the silver leaf it is still not accepted by some communities. This method though used for centuries has become a contentious issue about whether silver foil is vegetarian or non-vegetarian. A number of silver leaf manufacturers have therefore switched to modern machines for processing silver leaf. Technologies like beating silver between sheets of black specially treated paper and polyester sheets coated with food grade calcium powder are also being used instead of ox-guts.
FSSAI Regulations
Keeping all the issues in mind, the FSSAI has amended the previous regulations and has notified the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Fifth Amendment Regulations, 2016, dealing with silver leaf. In the regulatory category - Other Food Product and Ingredients - the FSSAI has amended the standards for silver leaf which are now as given below:
Silver Leaf (Chandi-ka-warq): Food grade
· be in the form of sheet of uniform thickness, free from creases and folds
· weight of silver foil will be up to 2.8 gm./sq. meter
· minimum silver content will have a fineness of 999/1000
· will not be manufactured using any material of animal origin at any stage of the manufacturing process
With a purity of 999/1000 silver leaf is safe and any compromise in the purity is considered an adulteration. Therefore, FSSAI has fixed the thickness, weight and purity of silver to prevent adulteration as aluminium cannot be hammered to this thinness. The regulation will ensure that adulterated silver leaf does not get supplied to sweet shops, especially in small towns and villages.
Delhi High Court Stay on Implementation
These new standards were to be implemented on August 1, 2017, but the Delhi High Court stayed the implementation because of a PIL challenging the revised standards of silver leaf. Some traditional manufacturers have objected to the standards which state that Silver Leaf (chandi-ka-warq) food grade shall not be manufactured using any material of animal origin at any stage.
The petitioners have also pointed out that the traditional process of manufacturing silver leaf does not contain any contaminants and does not change the quality or characteristic of silver leaf as it is carried out through a secret knowledge and has been passed down through generations and has been in practice for hundreds of years. In case this new clause is implemented, it would result in them losing their business and also render their workers jobless. They have also suggested that if consumers have objections to the methods of processing silver leaf then the FSSAI can ask manufacturers to label such foods as non-vegetarian. It is only at the next hearing that we will know of Delhi High Court’s decision on this issue.
Simple Test to Check Adulteration in Silver Leaf
· Wipe the silver leaf on top of sweets of foods. If the residue sticks to the fingers it is adulterated with aluminium.
· 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.
· Place silver leaves in a test tube and add diluted hydrochloric acid. If it becomes turbid with a white precipitate it is silver because aluminium can neither become turbid or precipitate.
· 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.
(The author is founder of Food Safety Helpline.com and MD, Auriga research, and director at Arbro Pharmaceuticals)
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