What is Food Adulteration?
Food Adulteration is an act for debasing the quality of food with an admixture or through the substitution of inferior substances or by removing some valuable ingredients from the food product. Food Adulterants are the substances which are added to food items for economic and technical benefits. Such substances reduce the value of nutrients and also causes the food contaminated and not fit for consumption.
Adulteration in Milk & Milk products
Milk could be found adulterated by adding water or by removing the cream or by adding artificial coloring agents like Annatto, ceramel, coal tar colors and preservatives like formaldehyde, boric & other acids etc.
As per Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, a food article could be declared adulterated if:
- When an substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it.
- Cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part.
- Any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted.
- It is an imitation.
- It is colored or otherwise treated, to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health.
- For whatever reason its quality is below the standard.
FSSAI shares the list of common adulterants and the tests which can be done at home for detecting the harmful substances:
Tests which can be done at home for the adulteration in Milk:
Water – The presence of water can be detected by putting a drop of milk on a polished slanting surface. The drop of pure milk flows slowly leaving a white trail behind it, whereas milk adulterated with water will flow immediately without leaving a mark.
Starch – Add a few drops of tincture of Iodine or Iodine solution. Formation of blue colour indicates the presence of Starch.
Urea – Take a teaspoon of milk in a test tube. Add half teaspoon of soybean or arhar powder. Mix up the contents throughly by shaking the test tube. After 5 mins, dip a red litmus paper after half a minute. A change in colour from red to blue indicates the presence of Urea in milk.
Detergent – Shake 5-10 ml of sample with an equal amount of water. Lather indicates the presence of detergent.
Synthetic Milk – Synthetic milk has a bitter taste, gives a soapy feeling on rubbing between the fingers and turns yellowish on heating.
Synthetic Milk-Test for Protein – The milk can easily be tested by Urease Strips (available in the Medical store). The colour chart of the Urease Strip test given below will show the quantity of Urea present in Milk.
S. No. |
Urea in Milk |
Colour of the Strip |
1 |
0-0.2 |
Yellow |
2 |
0.2-0.7 |
Peach |
3 |
0.7-1.20 |
Reddish Brown |
4 |
1.20-1.70 |
Pink |
5 |
1.7-14.00 |
Magenta |
Test for Glucose/Invert Sugar – Take a strip of a Diacetic Strip and dip it in the milk for 30 secs to 1 min. If the Strip changes colour, then it shows that the sample of milk contains glucose. If there is no change in the colour of the strip, then glucose is absent.
Tests which can be done at home for the adulteration in Milk Products:
Starch in Khoya & its products – Boil a small quantity of sample with some water, cool and add a few drops of Iodine solution. The Formation of blue colour indicates the presence of Starch.
Starch in Chhena or Paneer – Boil a small quantity of sample with some water, cool and add a few drops of Iodine solution. The formation of Blue colour indicates the presence of starch.
DrSudhirPathak says
Availability of testing kits be ensured and public be sensitized aggressively
Dr. Anil Mokashi says
We, Baramati food processing, are a company under section 25. We are interested in manufacturing milk adulteration detection syrips. Possible? How to go ahead?
FSH Team says
Strips can be used for the detection of only one type of adulterant qualitatively and not quantitatively. But there are many possible adulterants in milk which need to be detected through analytical methods. We at FoodSafetyHelpline can better assist you in resolving the queries regarding food safety requirements like; licensing/registration, Product Approval, Food Products Standards, Testing & Analysis of Food Products and all other regulatory requirements under the Indian Food Act (FSS Act, 2006).
aruuu says
is there no any test for detection of quantity of nacl present in milk???
manishmalik says
How to check the Quality of Raw Fresh milk by quick digital thermameter or any device, The fresh milk quality is good for all assurance and milk is not be harm for any Body.
( like water tester PH TDS meter..)
Rajesh ranade says
I would like to get biscuits tested (analytical methods ) for :-
1) Water used to manufacture food product
2) Milk used to manufacture food product
3) RBD Palm Oil used to manufacture food product
4) Ant other adulterations
MilkandMore says
Thanks it is helpful as I am interested in experimenting so tried to check the purity of milk and so I used https://goo.gl/dxiDfS these ways. However, I was surprised by results. I shall surely go by your tips too for checking the purity of milk for more experience in understanding the adulteration.
omesh says
Dear sir/ma’am,
I want to start a small supply business of milk from Noida to delhi. What should i do to start it and is there any kind of approval or licence required?
Kindly write the procedure.
thanking you
Vimal says
I have been working as equipment designer in engineering company, the above information it is useful.