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That glass of milk you’re drinking in India could actually be white poison according to studies and research material.
According to random tests done on milk samples around the country 68.4% samples were found to be contaminated.
Common adulterants in Milk
Water- The most common adulterant used in Milk to increase its volume and profits. Water not only brings down the nutritional value of milk but also increases the risk of contamination by pathogens of faecal origin.
Detergents- Detergents are added to milk to emulsify and dissolve the oil in the water giving a frothy solution, the characteristic white colour of milk. It is known to cause gastro-intestinal complications.
Urea- It is commonly added by adulterants to give milk a white colour, thicken the milk and to level the contents of solid-not-fat (SNF) as present in natural milk. Urea in milk puts a burden on the kidneys as they have to flush out more urea from the body.
Hydrogen Peroxide- It is added to keep the milk fresh for a longer period of time but in the process leads to gastro-intestinal damage and inflammation of the intestine.
Starch- It is added to increase thickness of milk but high amounts of it can cause diarrhoea due to the effects of undigested starch in the colon. Accumulation of starch in the body is fatal for diabetic patients.
Carbonates and bicarbonates- It prevents spoilage in milk but regular intake can result in hormonal imbalance affecting health, behaviour, libido and reproduction.
Sugar and salt- It is added to give milk a natural taste but in the process proves harmful for people suffering from high blood pressure and kidney problems.
Adulteration in milk products
1. Khoya- It is adulterated with paper, refined oil and skimmed milk powder.
2. Ghee and Paneer/Cottage Cheese– It is widely adulterated with potato and vanaspati, also with coal tar based dyes.
3. Silver foil on milk sweets- Silver foil placed on top of milk sweets is commonly adulterated with aluminium and the so-called saffron found in some milk sweets is nothing but dried and coloured corn hair. The colours usually being harmful dyes.
4. Rabri- The thick layers of cream found in Rabri may very well be blotting paper!
Rampant adulteration of milk in India
In a Hyderabad Clinical Study it was found that milk adulteration is widespread. The study concludes that a large number of samples procured did not conform to the legal standards prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The extent of adulteration varied significantly with least percentage for sucrose (22%) and highest for skim milk powder (80%). This means that most of the milk samples were prepared with added adulterants during their production and processing or added intentionally. In a country such as India where milk and milk products play an important role, this analysis should bring more awareness to the general public about the malpractices or negligence in milk production.
Food safety and drug administration (FSDA) in Agra found presence of detergent in milk samples of a known milk brand.
It is very important to know what we drink as milk that we consider a complete food, and give to our children in hope of keeping them healthy and growing, may be a toxic poison.
Foodnetindia believes that the milk adulteration problem in India is so large and significant that the problems faced by other countries like China is very small in comparison. There is an urgent need for people to move away to only purchasing milk and milk products from reliable brands in tamper proof tetrapak packaging. This is necessary to protect yourself and your loved ones as the milk safety situation is unlikely to improve for quite a long time.
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