Today, the unorganised milk market is vast and still growing. Milk is the first thing, almost everyone in this country, consume in the morning. These loose products are very easy to adulterate. Generally, milk is adulterated with water or other chemicals like detergent, etc. In 2011, FSSAI conducted an extensive survey which revealed that 70% of the total milk samples collected from the country were adulterated. You must always be aware of the brand and the place you buy from. Many brands pack milk in tetra packs which are tamper proof. Even if these big brands are taking care of the dairy products, one must be aware of how to do the dairy shopping. Let us understand the method to check the quality of milk.
Reduction Test:
Take a small quantity of sample and boil it until it solidifies. If it converts into solid and rough instead of an oily residue it means that the milk is adulterated.
Checking for water adulteration:
Adulterating the milk with water is the most common practice. You can take a drop of milk on your palm or a smooth surface and let it flow. Pure milk flows slowly, leaving a white trail behind. Adulterated milk will flow immediately without leaving a mark.
Checking for vanaspati/dalda in milk:
Add two tablespoons of hydrochloric acid and one tablespoon of sugar to one tablespoon of milk. If the mixture turns red, it means that milk is adulterated.
Checking for starch in milk:
Add two tablespoon of salt to 5 ml milk. It turns blue if it is adulterated.
Checking for Urea in milk:
Urea is comparatively more difficult to detect. Mix half a tablespoon of milk and soybean powder together and shake well. After 5 minutes dip a red litmus paper, if it turns blue, the milk is impure.
Checking for detergents in milk:
Take a small amount of sample in a plastic bag or pouch, add an equal amount of water and shake it thoroughly. If the solution forms a dense lather, the milk is adulterated. If the milk is pure, it will form a thin layer due to agitation.
Checking for synthetic milk:
Synthetic milk is prepared by adding materials like soap to milk. If the milk has a bitter taste or feels soapy when rubbed between fingers or turns yellow after heating, you have received synthetic milk.
Using Lactometer:
Adulteration of milk can also be determined by lactometer. Lactometer is a cylindrical shaped glass tube. If you want to check the purity of milk you just have to dip the lactometer in milk. The lactometer has 3 parts divided by ‘M’ mark and ‘W’ mark. If the pointer stays below or till the ‘M’ mark then the milk is pure, slightly above the ‘M’ mark indicates adulteration with water. If it goes way above the ‘M’ mark then it is only 25% pure.
As mentioned earlier, you should always buy from a trusted source. We know that finding a trusted source is difficult. Log in to awesomedairy.com today where you can check the nutritional content of products before buying them. They also provide a quality assurance to their customers and deliver the freshest products.
[1]Source: http://cseindia.org/content/adulterated-milk-what-indians-are-drinking
