Is chandi ka warq or silver leaf on sweets made from animal parts?

From Kaju Katli to Kheer Kadam, there are many sweets that grab our attention due to the shining silver leaf or chandi ka warq on top of them. And during the festivals like Diwali and Bhai Dooj, the market players use it quite often to grab the customers attention. But, did you know that if not made right, it can be a serious threat to human health too? Scroll down to read the details.

It is said that silver vark provides a rich opulent look to foods and silver has antimicrobial properties, which prevents growth of bacteria and increases shelf life of foods where no preservatives are used.

Traditionally, pure silver was beaten into thin sheets to make vark. It is said that to flatten the silver sheets, artisans used to place them between layers of animal tissue. As per some schools of thought, this meant the silver was touched by animal skin before it reached our plates.This raised major concerns with respect for sweets, as sweets were offered as bhog on festivals. In 2016, things changed when FSSAI banned the use of any animal material in the making of silver vark. The rule made the entire process vegetarian, where machines were used along with plant-based or synthetic sheets in place of animal tissue.

In 2016, FSSAI banned the use of materials of animal origin in the manufacturing of chandi ka warq (silver leaf), which is used to decorate sweets and pan. In Regulation 2.11.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives), Regulations, 2011, pertaining to chandi ka warq, the regulator had prescribed the silver content and the form in which the leaf should be manufactured. The regulation stated that, “It should be in the form of a sheet of uniform thickness, free from creases and folds. The weight of the silver leaf should be up to 2.8g/sq m, and silver content should be of minimum 999/1,000 fineness.”
“It should not be manufactured using any material of animal origin at any stage and be in accordance with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011, and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.

Adulteration often raises its head during the festive season and the unwary consumer can fall prey to it. Adulteration in silver leaf or chandi-ka-warq has been often detected by food regulators which include:
- Substitution of silver with aluminium
- Poor quality of silver used which may not be of 999 purity
- Unhygienic preparation methods
- Unsanitary conditions in workshops can cause contamination which poses a risk of food-borne diseases
- Traces of heavy metal contamination like nickel, lead, cadmium have been detected

- Wipe the silver leaf on top of sweets. If the residue sticks to the fingers it is adulterated with aluminium.
- Ignite a piece of silver leaf. If it is silver, it will turn into a ball of silver whereas aluminium will burn and leave behind ashes that are grayish black.
- Place silver leaves in a test tube and add diluted hydrochloric acid. If it becomes turbid with a white precipitate it is silver because aluminium can neither become turbid nor can it precipitate.
- Rub some silver leaf between the palms of the hand; if it is silver it will disappear, if it is aluminium it will become a small ball.