adulterar

Adulterar is a verb used in several languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and Swedish, meaning to adulterate: to alter something by introducing impurities or inappropriate substances, thereby degrading its quality or misleading about its nature. The act can be intentional, as fraud, or accidental, as contamination.

In commerce and public health, adulteration refers to tampering with products such as food, beverages, medicines, cosmetics, or fuels. Common forms include diluting liquids with cheaper substitutes, adding undeclared ingredients, or mislabeling products. Adulteration can also concern data, records, or standards, where the integrity of information is compromised. The intention behind adulteration is often to gain financial benefit or disguise inferior quality.

Legal and regulatory frameworks treat adulteration as illegal or punishable. Penalties vary by jurisdiction but may include fines, product recalls, or imprisonment. Regulatory agencies enforce testing and quality controls to detect adulteration and deter fraudulent practices, protecting consumer safety and market integrity. Companies may implement supply chain verification, third-party testing, and traceability measures to prevent adulteration and demonstrate compliance.

Etymology: the term derives from Latin adulterare, formed from ad- “to” and alterare “to alter,” meaning to corrupt by adding something else. In English, the cognate term adulteration is used for the noun form describing the act or result of adulterating.

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