CHEMICAL PROFILING OF TURMERIC (CURCUMA LONGA) FOR ADULTERATION USING GC-MS

Turmeric (Curcuma longa), long revered for its culinary and medicinal significance, has recently been facing challenges concerning product authenticity and food safety due to rampant adulteration. This study investigates the presence of adulterants in commercially available turmeric powder samples using a non-targeted Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) approach. Ten samples from various markets in Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi NCR region were chemically profiled to detect synthetic contaminants, bioactive compound levels, and adulterant traces. The analysis revealed wide variability in the number and nature of chemical constituents across samples, with certain compounds such as o-Xylene, Toluene, Eucalyptol, and aR-Turmerone dominating in abundance. Significant deviations in total component area, compound diversity, and match factors suggest disparities in quality and purity. Notably, samples S7 and S10 exhibited the richest chemical profiles, indicating superior quality or possibly unadulterated origins, whereas others, like S4 and S5, reflected poor composition possibly due to adulteration or environmental degradation. The detection of industrial chemicals and synthetic analogs, such as Toluene and siloxanes, raises serious concerns about consumer health risks and calls for stringent monitoring. The findings underscore the importance of combining robust analytical tools like GC-MS with quality control strategies to detect and mitigate food adulteration.