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All about Milk Adulteration: How to Check Adulteration in Milk

Team AckoDec 27, 2024

As milk is an inseparable part of people’s food regime, due care must be taken to ensure it is safe for consumption. In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the authorized government body related to food and safety regulations. It keeps milk adulteration and contamination in check; however, citizens must also educate themselves regarding milk tampering as it is directly related to one’s health. Read ahead to learn more about milk adulteration and regulation in India.

Milk is an integral part of most Indian households. Irrespective of one’s age, milk and milk products are included in the daily diet in some form. Children drink milk-based health drinks, while adults are hooked on tea or coffee. It does not just help you kickstart your day; milk-based items like dahi or chaas are meal essentials.

Milk

Contents

Difference Between Milk Contamination and Adulteration

Milk contamination and milk adulteration negatively affect the quality of milk. However, one needs to understand the difference to comprehend news reports. Usually, people panic when reading headlines about the low quality of milk. Such panic can lead to rumours, which in turn can harm the society at large. Of course, both contamination and adulteration should not be tolerated, but one shouldn’t misinterpret the news. Therefore, here’s a basic explanation of these terms to help you put things in perspective.

Milk Contamination:

Substances are unintentionally added to milk, resulting in low quality. This mostly occurs due to environmental contamination and bad handling practices. It can also happen if the milk is not stored properly or there are quality issues related to its supply Chain Management.

Milk Adulteration:

Unlike contamination, milk adulteration is deliberate. It is often performed to intentionally degrade the quality (and increase the quantity) of milk to make a profit illegally. Milk adulteration poses serious health hazards. Common techniques include adding water, detergent, etc., to the milk.

Harmful Effects of Milk Contamination and Adulteration

The demand for milk is always high due to its daily consumption. And it shoots up during festivals. Therefore, managing its supply side is a challenge. Adulteration usually happens when suppliers want to meet this demand-supply gap and make undue profits.

Milk’s perishable nature, non-perfection in quality checks, and the price of the finished product are also contributing factors that create scope for unethical people to exploit the masses. Such exploitation can result in major health issues. In general, the harmful effects of consuming contaminated or adulterated milk on a regular basis can lead to:

Malfunctioning of organs
Issues related to the heart
Cancer
Poor eyesight
Kidney issues
Death

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned India that if milk adulteration is not halted, a major portion of the population might face life-threatening diseases by the year 2025.

The severity of milk contamination and adulteration will depend upon how it got contaminated and the kind of adulteration products used. Here’s a list of adulterants used in milk and their harmful effects.

Adulterant	Harmful effects
Melamine	Kidney-related problems
Starch	It can cause diarrhoea. Too much accumulation can be problematic for diabetics
Urea	It can take a toll on a person’s kidneys
Oxytocin injection	Oxytocin is a hormone, and injections laced with it are given to cows and buffaloes so that they can produce more milk. The major health scare associated with this is that some quantity of the hormone injected in cattle is also transmitted to the person drinking the cattle’s milk, which can cause problems related to the eyes, kidneys, heart, etc.
Formalin	This is a disinfectant used to preserve biological samples. However, it has been noted that it is used to increase milk’s shelf-life. Consuming milk laced with formalin can cause skin problems and cancer.
Hydrogen peroxide	Concerns related to the digestive system
Detergents	Intestine and kidney issues

How To Check Milk Adulteration At Home?

If you are extremely concerned about how to check purity of milk being supplied in your locality and subsequently the milk consumed by you and your family, you can conduct some home-based milk adulteration tests/milk purity tests as a quality measure.

Here’s how to check milk purity at home.

Adulterant	How to check milk purity at home
Water	Water is a common adulterant used to increase the quantity of milk. While that water might not directly affect your health, contaminated water will surely do so. A simple method to check whether milk is adulterated with water is to place a drop of milk on a slanting surface. If the milk flows freely it has high water content. Purer milk will flow slowly.
Starch	Adding iodine to a sample of adulterated milk will make it bluish.
Urea	Add soybean powder to milk sample in a tube, shake it, and insert red litmus paper. If it turns blue, milk has urea.
Detergent	Take 10ml of sample and mix it with 10ml of water. Shake the mixture. If the sample forms lather, then it has detergent.
Synthetic milk	This milk will leave a bitter taste in your mouth after drinking.

If the issue is not about detecting whether the milk is contaminated or adulterated, and you just want to know if it has gone bad, simply sniffing or tasting it should give you a clue.

Lab Testing Of Milk For Contamination And Adulteration:

The laboratory method for checking adulteration in milk is a detailed form of checking adulteration in milk and milk products. It is much more intricate than home-based methods. The tests are performed in a controlled environment with all the necessary apparatus and safety measures.

Not all contaminants can be checked at home. For that, one has to rely on lab-based methods. Here’s a list of adulterants that must be checked in a lab: Vanaspati, Formalin, Ammonium Sulphate, Salt, Hydrogen Peroxide, Sugar, and Boric Acid.

In the News:

There was a perception among the masses that milk consumed by Indians was highly contaminated or adulterated. Therefore, the FSSAI conducted a nationwide survey from the month of May 2018 till October 2018. They created a report, which passed through stakeholder meetings, and issued a press release in October 2019 stating ‘Your milk is largely safe’.

The National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018 included analysing 6432 milk samples collected from more than 1000 towns and cities (with a population exceeding 50000). The samples included raw milk as well as processed milk and were collected from organized and unorganized sectors.

Out of the 6432 milk samples, FSSAI found 12 to be unsafe for human consumption. They admitted that this was a concern, however, their report does not consider the popular perception of massive milk adulteration to be true. The analysis has highlighted that the level of contamination and adulteration in the failed samples is not too high with regards to human health.

Two major concerns emerged regarding the survey. One is the presence of aflatoxin M1 residues, which exceeded the permitted limit. The second is that 41% of samples scored low on the quality scale, which might be safe but not ideal. FSSAI has developed a Scheme of Testing and Inspection to ensure quality control.

Health Insurance:

From the information mentioned in the above paragraphs, it is clear that something as basic as milk has the potential to disrupt your health. Certain things are beyond your control and you cannot be on the watch 24×7 for things such as milk. Therefore, it is suggested to insure oneself with health insurance to ensure financial safety in case you need to be hospitalized for trivial matters or serious injuries.

There are different types of health insurance plans that you can choose from. They range from covering hospitalisation expenses arising from milk contamination and adulteration to money spent on fighting deadly diseases such as cancer. However, you must go through the policy wording of your preferred health insurance policy before purchasing it. Policy wordings lay out a detailed explanation of your health cover including terms and conditions.

Here’s a list of popular health insurance options that can be purchased via certified insurance websites.

Health insurance for individual
Health insurance for family
Health insurance in case of accidents
Group health insurance
Mediclaim
Critical Illness plans

Usually, it is suggested that a combination of the above-mentioned policies be picked to create a strong health insurance portfolio. It also helps save tax as per section 80D of the Income Tax Act.

Why Is Milk Adulteration Prevalent?

The primary form of milk adulteration is globalisation, which has long-term effects anchored to economic injuriousness, infrastructural constraints, and lack of legislation. The reasons why there is mishandling of milk include the following: The case of milk adulteration is anchored on economic factors. Most suppliers and producers add water to milk or mix it with water, starch, urea, or detergent to make more of it and make more profits. This unethical business practice is more rampant in regions where demand surprises supply, as the demand for milk usually outdoes the supply.

This is compounded with milk, a perishable commodity that may take little time to go bad. Milk also requires cold storage and transportation, which, when lacking, results in quickly spoiled produce. Losing their financial might, suppliers may add neutralizers, preservatives, or even acerbates, such as caustic soda, to the milk at the peril of the health of milk consumers.

Another limiting factor is law enforcement's poor structure of checks, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. Lack of strong monitoring and unsophisticated detection approaches provide ant-contamination personnel with limited risks they face. The existing approaches to identifying these contaminants are either diagnostic or take time, and in the process, swindlers find a way to evade their punishment. More sophisticated techniques like LC and ELISA are available but have limited availability, and their reach is quite restricted, especially in areas of low resource availability.

Thirdly, a high level of purchasing power is another major factor that puts pressure on the suppliers to produce milk that is not pure but cheap. This situation is even worse in regions where the customer base is unclear about the dangers of drinking contaminated milk.

While economic factors cause the problem, it negatively affects the general public's health. Therefore, it is crucial to pass strict laws that may help to avoid this issue, improve the techniques that help to detect it and make consumers more aware of its existence to guarantee the safety of one of the most significant meals.

Common Adulterants in Milk and Their Sources

Many instances of milk adulteration worldwide exist, where many riders add different elements and dangerous compounds. All stages play a part in the contamination, including motives such as financial gains, difficulty managing operations, or lack of legal restrictions.

At the farm level, adulteration can start immediately after milk has been collected from the cows and taken to the next process. Farmers get to a point where they are forced to add water to the milk they produce so that it meets the required standard or earns them a lot of money. Lacking clean water, they may use water from nearby wells or streams or unpurified storage tanks, which infuse bacteria and other disease-causing organisms into the milk.

During the third phase, milk is transported long distances without much temperature control. Many wholesalers and retailers use chemical preservatives like formalin or other neutralizers like caustic soda to preserve their products and reduce the time taken before they start spoiling. These chemicals assist in hiding the spoiling of milk due to bacterial proliferation but are dangerous to consumer health.

Milk may undergo further processing to ensure profitability at the processing and distribution stage. Some of the suppliers bring in synthetic milk, which is a combination of water, detergent, urea, and refined oil. The puffed grain used to produce this fake milk is prepared at a low price to meet the high demand, especially in regions where the genuine product is rare. Also, starch or flour added in the process may help to thicken the milk, and sugar and glucose are added for better taste to hide dilution.

Sometimes, the intentions are to meet the demand for mixed milk or to deceive the clients. This is especially true when higher-priced dairy, such as cow or buffalo, is mixed with cheaper ones. PCR and ELISA are advanced techniques that are essential to unmasking such adulteration practices.

Milk adulteration typically ends with its supply to consumers who cannot determine if the product contains additives. To break such a cycle, intensified quality checks from the farmer to the final consumer, health promotion activities, and, most importantly, enhancement of regulatory measures must be undertaken.

Technological Advancements in Detecting Milk Adulteration

Modern technologies have changed how cases of milk adulteration are detected, providing great solutions at high efficiency, speed, and reasonable prices. These advancements are crucial in ensuring milk authenticity and safety in response to the growing sophistication of adulteration methods.

1. Infrared Spectroscopy

MIR and FTIR spectroscopy are used in the dairy industry for molecular characterization and identification of milk. These techniques identify the presence of contaminants by identifying the particular spectrum of milk and its constituents. For example, FTIR can scan the presence of water, urea, detergents, and their concentration in matter for a few seconds. Miniature FTIR sensors are now available for mobile applications and for conducting on-site analyses of adulteration during milk collection.

2. Liquid Chromatography (LC)

LC, especially when combined with mass spectrometry, LC-MS is very useful in detecting certain contaminants, such as melamine or synthesized substances. It isolates milk particles by their chemical characteristics to allow for accurate identification. LC-MS is preferred in the labs due to its high sensitivity and is ideal when achieving higher precision, which is crucial, but it demands experienced, skilled personnel to work with it.

3. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

ELISA is a biochemical test that identifies proteinaceous agents such as foreign milk proteins. It also detects antibiotic residues in milk, meeting food safety standards.

4. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

PCR is used to confirm the milk species and check for milk's presence from other unapproved sources. They magnify the DNA segments, allowing for the identification of unique genes for each species. PCR is more important in cases where fraud is committed in higher-value milk products such as buffalo or camel milk.

5. Electronic Milk Analyzers

More and more dairies use electronic milk analyzers in the collection centres to evaluate milk quality speedily and accurately. These devices determine parameters such as fat content, SNF, density, and freezing point, which, if corrupt, would indicate a dilution or addition of sucrose or starch.

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Based Detection Systems

Machine learning is transforming the identification of milk adulteration through analytical reasoning of large data for pattern signs of the same. Analyzing the composition of food products and detecting prohibited additives require data from spectroscopy, chromatography, or other similar applications, which can be easily incorporated into AI-powered systems to reach a high level of accuracy. Such measures would help counterbalance the use of machine learning to predict adulteration trends and take proper actions in advance.

7. Biosensors

Biosensors are portable and incorporate biological elements that selectively identify particular adulterants. Enzyme-based biosensors can identify substances like hydrogen peroxide or formalin in milk. They are also user-friendly and ideal for on-the-spot testing.

Impact of Milk Adulteration on Vulnerable Groups

Milk adulteration affects everyone, but vulnerable groups like children, pregnant women, and the elderly face greater risks. Children need milk for growth and development. Adulterants like urea, detergent, or starch can harm their digestive systems and weaken their immunity. Contaminated dairy can cause diarrhoea, malnutrition, and stunted growth.

Pregnant women require extra nutrients for their health and the baby's development. Adulterated milk with harmful chemicals may lead to complications like anaemia, low birth weight, or harm to the unborn baby. Older adults often rely on milk for essential nutrients like calcium and protein. Adulterants may worsen health issues like weak bones, kidney problems, or digestive disorders.

These groups are more vulnerable because their bodies are either growing, supporting another life, or fragile due to age. Clean and safe milk is essential to ensure their health and well-being.

Wrapping up!

Milk or other food products could contain harmful contaminants that can cause significant health concerns. Make sure that your health insurance can cover medical expenses for you and your family if needed. Choose a health insurance policy that provides adequate coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Is drinking contaminated or adulterated milk life-threatening?

Yes, it can be life-threatening depending upon the intensity of the contamination or adulteration.

2) How to ensure milk is not contaminated or adulterated?

There is no foolproof way of ensuring the milk you drink is pure, as it is not practical to check the milk quality at home on a daily basis. Purchasing branded milk is one helpful option.

3) How to know more about the recent milk adulteration report and FSSAI?

You can visit their website for detailed information.

4) Should one stop drinking milk because of rumours related to milk contamination and adulteration during Indian festivals.

Drinking or not drinking milk is a matter of choice. One shouldn’t believe in rumours and make an informed choice by educating yourself about the issue.

5) Can a health insurance policy offer assistance in case my parents are hospitalized because of drinking contaminated or adulterated milk?

Health insurance policies usually cover expenses occurring pre, during, and post-hospitalisation. Please contact your preferred health insurance provider via phone or email to learn more about their policy coverage.

Adulterant	Harmful effects
Melamine	Kidney-related problems
Starch	It can cause diarrhoea. Too much accumulation can be problematic for diabetics
Urea	Can take a toll on a person’s kidneys
Oxytocin injection	Oxytocin is a hormone, and injections laced with it are given to cows and buffaloes so that they can produce more milk. The major health scare associated with this is that some quantity of the hormone injected in cattle is also transmitted to the person drinking the cattle’s milk, which can cause problems related to eyes, kidney, heart, etc.
Formalin	This is a disinfectant used to preserve biological samples. However, it has been noted that it is used to increase milk’s shelf-life. Consuming milk laced with formalin can cause skin problems and Cancer.
Hydrogen peroxide	Concerns related to the digestive system
Detergents	Intestine and kidney issues

Adulterant	How to check milk purity at home
Water	Water is a common adulterant used to increase the quantity of milk. While that water might not directly affect your health, contaminated water will surely do so. A simple method to check whether milk is adulterated with water is to place a drop of milk on a slanting surface. If the milk flows freely it has high water content. Purer milk will flow slowly.
Starch	Adding iodine to a sample of adulterated milk will make it bluish.
Urea	Add soybean powder to milk sample in a tube, shake it, and insert red litmus paper. If it turns blue, milk has urea.
Detergent	Take 10ml of sample and mix it with 10ml of water. Shake the mixture. If the sample forms lather, then it has detergent.
Synthetic milk	This type of milk will leave a bitter taste in your mouth after drinking.