The issue of adulteration of milk is a serious concern in India.
According to a study conducted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in 2018, about 10% of milk samples collected from across the country were found to be adulterated.
A study conducted by the FSSAI in 2011-12 found that around 68% of milk samples collected from the unorganized sector were adulterated.. The study found that the most common form of adulteration was the addition of water to milk, followed by the addition of detergents, glucose, and other substances. (see below for more details).
Question is: Can Sikhs are opening a lot of hospitals and dialysis centers to treat the patients but can we open small food products testing centers?
Some of the methods that have been used to make fake milk include:
- Mixing water with milk powder: Some milk sellers have been known to mix water with milk powder to increase the volume of milk they have to sell.
- Mixing water with urea: Urea is a chemical compound that is used as a fertilizer. However, it has also been used to adulterate milk. This is because urea dissolves easily in water and can be used to increase the protein content of the milk. However, consumption of urea-adulterated milk can lead to serious health problems.
- Adding starch or glucose: Starch and glucose are both carbohydrates that can be used to increase the volume of milk. This method is commonly used to make fake condensed milk.
- Adding vegetable oil: Some milk sellers have been known to add vegetable oil to milk to increase the volume of milk. This method can also be used to increase the fat content of the milk.
Some of the chemicals that have been used to make fake milk include:
- Formalin: Formalin is a solution of formaldehyde in water. It is commonly used as a disinfectant and preservative. However, it has been used by some milk sellers to preserve milk for longer periods of time. Consumption of milk adulterated with formalin can cause serious health problems.
- Hydrogen peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical that is commonly used as a bleaching agent. It has also been used to adulterate milk as it can increase the shelf life of milk. However, consumption of hydrogen peroxide-adulterated milk can cause serious health problems.
Headlines in the newspapers below indicate the problem in particularly in India
68.4% milk in India is adulterated, finds survey!
79% milk in Maharashtra is adulterated: study
https://www.vice.com/en/article/9kxx9d/indian-scammers-arrested-for-making-fake-milk-out-of-paint-and-shampoo
Here is a detailed scientific paper with possible tests:
Some of the major adulterants in milk having serious adverse health effect are urea, formalin, detergents, ammonium sulphate, boric acid, caustic soda, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, hydrogen peroxide, sugars and melamine.
Table 1: Rapid qualitative detection of different edible adulterants in milk
Table 2: Rapid qualitative detection of different hazardous chemicals in milk
Table 3: Rapid qualitative detection of different mixed adulterants in milk