Page 332 - AWSAR 2.0

308 || AWSAR Awarded Popular Science Stories - 2019
et al (1965) and it involves a simple chemical reaction in which morpholine reacts with sodium salt of 1,2-naphtoquinone-4-sulphonic acid (NPQ/NQS) under alkaline condition at room temperature to form a red/orange coloured product named 4-(4-morpholinyl) naphthalene-1,2-dione, which was detected using colour-reading machine, the UV – Visible
spectrophotometer (at 480 nm). The reaction was completed in a span of 20 minutes and as it is light sensitive it was carried out in the dark. Thus, with the help of this micro-assay we can directly correlate the morpholine content with the colour intensity of the product formed in the above assay reaction (Fig 2).
Fig 2: Brief depiction of various steps involved in micro-assay for morpholine detection
According to assay results, the observed morpholine content in fruits/
vegetables selected for the
study include 0.171 mg/
kg in tomatoes, 1.831 mg/ kg in carrots and 0.342 mg/ kg in capsicum, respectively. Though, the detected values of morpholine were found to be below the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), that is, 0.48 mg/ kg body weight/day, it does not necessarily rule out the risk of cancers if consumed directly on a regular basis.
In addition, India’s diverse
climatic condition ensures the
production of almost all major
varieties of fruits and vegetables
and ranks second in their production globally. According to information published in National Horticulture Database 2015-16 by National Horticulture Board, India produces 90.2 million tons (MT) of fruits and 169.1 million tons (MT)
of vegetables annually. This huge magnitude of fruits and vegetables production leads to their higher consumption rates and, in turn, higher intake of morpholine. This might be one of the reasons behind high incidence of liver cancers (nearly 30,000 to 50,000 new cases/year) in
India.
Further, our team has
been striving to develop a suitable Point of Detection Device (PODD) to estimate the presence of morpholine in coated fruits and vegetables using the micro-assay principle. The assay will use minimal sample volume (approximately
2 micro litres) to estimate morpholine content even if is available in lowest concentrations at a cost of <0.50 INR only. We hope this cost- effective approach could occupy an iconic position in the field of applied science and set
“Sometimes though the problem is bigger its solution will be simpler” this is fortunately applicable in morpholine’s case. There is a better remedial strategy to keep coated fruits/ vegetables free from morpholine and that is named as Rule of 3W (water treatment, washing and wiping).