Understanding the Concept:
Adulteration refers to the substitution, addition, or removal of constituents of a crude drug resulting in deterioration of quality. Powdered drugs are especially vulnerable because foreign materials can be mixed without easy detection.
Capsicum powder is commonly adulterated to increase weight, bulk, and apparent color intensity.
Step 1: Understand the characteristics of genuine capsicum.
Capsicum powder possesses a characteristic red color due to carotenoid pigments and contains pungent constituents such as capsaicin.
Because of its commercial value, adulteration is frequently encountered.
Step 2: Identify the common adulterant.
Red sanders wood powder resembles capsicum powder in color.
Its reddish appearance allows it to blend easily with powdered capsicum, making adulteration difficult to detect by ordinary visual examination.
Step 3: Analyze other options.
Dextrin is commonly used in food preparations but is not the classical adulterant associated with capsicum powder.
Powdered olive stones are more frequently associated with adulteration of certain spice powders.
Starch may be used as a filler but is not the standard answer recognized in pharmacognosy references for capsicum adulteration.
Step 4: Select the correct option.
Red sanders wood has historically been reported as a common adulterant of powdered capsicum because it increases bulk while maintaining a similar color.
Conclusion:
The commonly reported adulterant added to powdered capsicum for increasing bulk is Red sanders wood. Therefore, the correct answer is Option (B).