Comparative study between composition of factory-made and illicit whisky preparations

Amongst the major public health issues leading to crime, adulteration is one of the most spread across the nations. Adulteration implies the action of making something poorer in quality by the addition of another substance. The present study is an attempt to compare different parameters of factory made and illegally prepared liquor. The aim of the study is a comparison of the whisky composition of commercial and illicit prepared whisky through different physical parameters and Gas Chromatography. The objective of this study is to compare the whisky composition of commercial and illicit whisky by using GC-FID. Also to identify differences in congeners levels of factory made and illicit prepared whisky and to identify common congeners encountered in whisky. For conducting this experimental study 50 samples from five brands of whisky were selected, commercial samples (standard sample) and market samples (Question samples) were collected. Among the presumptive test physical parameters such as color, pH, strength, sensory, and conductivity of each sample were analyzed. The composition was analyzed using the GC-FID (Agilent 9820)instrument at KHEMANI DISTILLERIES PVT. LTD. DAMAN and illicit samples were collected from local sellers. The presence of common adulterants like water, spirit, desi daru, cheap liquors (low brand whisky), the physical parameters such as conductivity, color, and strength showed variation in their values. When the results were compared with the standards mentioned in IS 3752.2005 and IS 4449.2005, it was observed that the GC profiling also showed an increase in the congener levels. It was observed that in illicit liquor different levels of concentration of methanol, n-Propanol, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, and acetaldehyde indicated the adulteration in the samples analyzed. The common congeners encountered in illicit whisky were n-propanol and ethyl acetate.