Top News

If you get a piece of jaggery with tea in the cold winter mornings, its taste reaches the heart. In India, jaggery is not just a sweetness but a tradition, especially in winter. It keeps the body warm, improves digestion and purifies the blood. But nowadays, like everything else in the market, adulteration in jaggery has also increased.

Fake jaggery is being sold indiscriminately in markets ranging from Faridabad, Delhi, Bhopal to small towns. From outside it looks like the original, but sugar, colors and chemicals are added to it which can prove to be poisonous for health. Therefore it is important that you learn to identify real and fake jaggery.

Demand for jaggery increased in winter

As soon as winter sets in, the season of sesame-jaggery laddus, jaggery tea and peanut jaggery bars arrives in every home. As demand increases in the markets, traders start taking advantage of it. Adulterants prepare fake jaggery by mixing sugar, glucose syrup and artificial colors. It looks very real, but it slowly causes harm to health. According to many reports of the Food Department, chemicals like sulfur dioxide are added to fake jaggery to make it look more shiny. Consuming it continuously can increase problems like stomach ache, headache and allergies.

How to identify the difference between real and fake jaggery?

1. Identify by color

The color of real jaggery is light or dark brown, never looking very shiny. Whereas fake jaggery is very bright and uniform in colour. If the color of jaggery appears golden yellow or has a red tint, then understand that chemicals have been mixed in it.

2. Check with water test

Put a small piece of jaggery in lukewarm water. The real jaggery will slowly dissolve and the water will turn light brown. Fake jaggery breaks quickly and leaves a white layer in the water or gets deposited like sediment at the bottom.

3. Test near fire

Place some jaggery on a spoon and take it near light fire. Real jaggery will melt slowly without black smoke, whereas fake jaggery will emit stinky smoke and chemical odor.

4. Recognize by touch

Real jaggery is slightly sticky and slightly rough. There is natural moisture in it. Fake jaggery is very smooth and dry because it is chemically polished to bring shine to it.

Why is adulteration of fake jaggery increasing?

Actually, the demand for jaggery increases manifold in winter. Traders make quick-cooking fake jaggery to earn more profits. It takes 8-10 hours to make real jaggery, whereas fake jaggery is ready in 2-3 hours. This is why it is cheap and also looks attractive. However, this adulteration causes loss to farmers and genuine producers. While the price of real jaggery is Rs 80 to Rs 100 per kg, fake jaggery is sold for Rs 50-60 per kg. The common consumer buys it at a cheap price, without knowing that it is harmful for health.

Health benefits of real jaggery

Real jaggery not only enhances the taste but also strengthens the body from within. It purifies the blood and increases hemoglobin in the body. Eating jaggery improves digestion and provides relief from constipation. The antioxidants and minerals present in it strengthen the immunity of the body. In winter it gives both warmth and energy to the body. The tradition of eating a small piece of jaggery every day after meals is not just for taste, but is also the secret of health.

Fake jaggery can cause these harms

If you buy jaggery without checking, it can have a poisonous effect on the body. The chemicals present in fake jaggery can affect the liver. Stomach irritation and gas problems may increase. Headache and allergy problems may occur. Hormonal imbalance and skin problems can also increase in the long run. Therefore, always buy jaggery from trusted shops and do the tests mentioned above before purchasing.

Keep these things in mind while buying jaggery

• Buy jaggery with lumpy or rough texture, do not buy very smooth jaggery.
• Do not take jaggery kept in the open, because dust and moisture easily enter it.
• Take seasonal and indigenous jaggery, especially made from sugarcane juice.
• If it is branded packing, be sure to read the expiry date and ingredients.