There is rampant adulteration of milk and milk products during Diwali every year.
Market players adulterate milk products to meet a sudden rise in their demand during the festive season.
With just a few days left for Diwali, Indians across the globe are gearing up to celebrate ‘the festival of light’ with their loved ones. Dazzling decorations with strings of light bulbs, small and big, that are weaved into webs add warmth to the festive vibe in the cold season. But wait, Indian festivals are incomplete without sweets especially the ones that are made using milk or milk products such as ghee, khoya or mawa, among others.
Over the last several years, it has been observed that adulteration of milk and milk products is rampant during the Diwali season as their demand suddenly shoots up. Market players fool people by selling them adulterated milk products.
How milk and milk products are adulterated?
Milk and milk products like paneer, khoya, ghee, rabdi, and sweet curd are adulterated with starch, urea, vanaspati, formalin, sulfuric acid, coal tar dyes, and blotting paper. The aforementioned substances also improve appearance and storage of the milk products. While starch and Vanaspati are tame adulterants, coal tar dyes contain some heavy metals that can potentially damage the brain.
How to check presence of adulterants in milk and milk products at home?
It is indeed very simple to test the purity of milk and milk products at home. Check our guide.
Check presence of adulterants in milk
Water: To check the presence of water in milk, put a drop of milk on a slanting polished surface. If the drop flows down slowly while leaving a white mark behind, the milk is pure. However, if the drop flows quickly without any mark, the milk is adulterated with water.
Starch: Add a drop of iodine to milk. If the colour changes to blue, starch is present.
Urea: Take some milk in a container. Add ½ teaspoon of arhar powder or soyabean to it. Shake the contents thoroughly. Let it for five minutes. Now dip a red litmus paper in it. If the colour of the paper changes to blue, urea is present.
Vanaspati: Add few drops of hydrochloric acid (HCL) to 3 ml of milk. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar to it. Formation of red colour indicates the presence of Vanaspati in milk.
Synthetic milk: Synthetic milk gives soapy feeling when rubbed between fingers. Also, it turns yellow on heating.
Check presence of adulterants in paneer
Physical test: Pure paneer is soft and can withstand pressure. So when you apply pressure on it with your hands, adulterated paneer would break into small pieces, indicating the presence of baking soda.
Chemical test: Boil a paneer sample with some water, cool and then add a few drops of Iodine solution. If the colour changes to blue, starch is present.
Check presence of adulterants in khoya or mawa
Starch: Boil a small quantity of khoya. After cooling it, add a few drops of iodine solution to it. Appearance of blue colouration indicates starch presence.
Formalin: Boil small quality of khoya. Add 5 ml of concentrated H2SO4 acid from the sides of the container. Formation of a violet ring at the intersection of two liquids shows the presence of formalin.
Also, pure khoya is greasy and tastes sweet. So rub a small sample and taste it to check its tartness and sweetness before buying.
Check presence of adulterants in ghee
Coal tar dyes: Take one full teaspoon of melted ghee in a small container. Add 5 ml concentrated HCL or dilute H2SO4. Appearance of crimson colour (in case of HCL) and pink colour (in case of H2SO4) indicates the presence of coal tar dyes.
Vanaspati ghee: Add HCL to one spoon of ghee. Then add a pinch of sugar to it. Appearance of crimson colour shows Vanaspati or margarine is present.
Potatoes: Add a few drops of iodine to ghee. If brownish colour changes to pink, starch is present.
