THE SIMPLE IDENTIFICATION OF FORMALIN, BORAX AND RHODAMIN
SPOT TEST METHODS USING SOME KITS TESTER PRODUCT
By Chanif Mahdi*)
Discoverer and producer
Departement of Chemistry faculty of science the University of Brawijaya
Malang, East of Jawa Province, Indonesia
1. FORMALIN MAIN REAGENT ( FMR)
It is one of instrument kit tester reagent to determine formalin content of food and his
ingredient as a preservative or formalin contaminant. This instrument as a reagent kit
tester form, in 15 ml plastic bottle packed. It can be used for formalin detection on
food and food ingredients. With the procedure operation as follow.
Please one gram of food sample in test tube, add 2-3 ml of FMR reagent, shake well
for 3-5 minutes. If sample food and food ingredient to indicate positive formalin
detection , the reagent solution will turn form yellow colour to pink or blue colour.
The deeper of colour depend on formalin concentration on food samples. Formalin kit
tester (FMR ) can ditection formalin on food with the content less than 5 ppm, in five
or ten minutes periode . To know the level of concentration result of formalin
ditection, should be compare to formalin colour standart as follow.
Figure: FMR plastic bottle 15 ml packed
Figure : Colour standart of formalin
2. BORAX MAIN REAGENT ( BMR)
It is one of instrument reagent kit tester for borax determine or ditection on food and
food ingredient. This instrument as a reagent kit tester form, in 15 ml plastic bottle
packed. This kit tester can be used for determine or ditection borax as food additive
or food preservative, with procedure operational as follow.
Please one gram of powder or grain food samples in dropplate porcelain or white
plate porcelain, please add few drop of BMR reagent. If food samples indicate
positive ditection, the colour will turn from yellow colour to cherry red colours or
dark brown colour, depend on level of borax concentration on food samples. To know
as quantitative concentration of borax , we can used standart borax colouras follow.
Figure : BMR plastic bottle 15 ml packed
Figure : borax colour standart
3. Colours Main Reagent (CMR)
It is one of the instrument reagen kit tester for determine or ditection colour additive
on food and drinks. This instrument as a reagent kit form, in 15 ml plastic bottle
packed. This reagen can be used to determine and to ditect colour additive on food
and soft driks. The CMR reagent kit tester are supplemented by two reagent
supplements, both are ammonia reagent and petroleum reagent. The procedure
operation as follow:
1. Please one ml or one gram sample in test tube
2. Add 5 drops of ammonia supplement reagent
3. Add 2 or 3 mll of petroleum eter ( car/ motor petroleum) as a supplement reagen
4. Shake well between 3- 5 minute
5. Let the solution be separated, and pour off petroleum layer into another test tube
6. Add the petroleum phase with 2-3 ml CMR reagen, and shake well for 3- 5
minutes
7. Let the solution be separated
8. please observer to bottom layer, colour appear or not. The positive ditection if
colour appear on bottom layer.
Figure : Negatif rhodamin colour ditection
Figure : Positive rhodamin colour ditection
4. YODIUM MAIN REAGENT ( YMR reagent )
It is one of instrument reagent kit tester for determine or ditection yodium content of
yodium salt. This instrument as a reagent kit tester form, in 15 ml plastic bottle
packed. This reagent kit can be used to determine or ditection yodium content on
yodat salt, with the procedure operation as follow :
1. Please one gram of powder or grain samples of salt
2. Add few drops ( 2-3 drops) of YMR reagent
3. If salt sample indicate positif ditection, the salt sample will appear blue colour
directly.
4. To know the quantitative borax content on salt, we can measure by using standart
colour of yodium concentration.
More information please contact to Chanif Mahdi, with addres as follow:
Office : Departemen Chemistry Faculty of Science University of Brawijaya
Malang. Indonesia Telp/Fax : 0341 554403
Private Laboratory : BioChem Healthy Food
Jalan Venus 21 Malang. Telp ( 0341 ) 553791 HP : 08125297102
REFERENCES
Anonymous, 1987. Handbook of test kit for formarlin in food. Departement of medical
sciences. The ministry of public health. Thailand.
Encyclopedia, 2005. Borax. The Columbia electronic encyclopedia. 6th edition.Copy
right. Columbia University Press. All right reversed.
Erwin, G. 1985. Spot Test Analysis Clinical Enveroment, 2nd Edition. Book News, Inc.
Portland..
Groenevelt, J.P., 1984. Simple test manual. Testing Departement Consumentenbond.
Publisher by Consumentenbond. In behalf of the International Organisation of
Consumers Union ( ID