Contamination in milk and its testing

Milk and its derivatives have played an important role in Indian culture, daily consumption and rituals since Vedic times.  In addition, as milk is a complete food and it has a prominent place in the diet of all the elderly and infirm, its high quality remains indispensable.  From the time of Puranas, it was considered a sin to mix milk and milk products, but due to the greed of some greedy selfish people to make money, the tendency to mix milk and milk products has taken root.

Any food is considered adulterated if........

• It contains substances that reduce or adversely affect the quality of food.
• If the pure substance has been completely or partially replaced by a cheaper or inferior material.
• Any valuable or essential component has been completely or partially removed.
• Foods that have been inedible or processed to improve their appearance, or that have been contaminated with substances that are harmful to health.
• Food quality, for whatever reason, is below quality standards.

India is the world's leading producer of 1.3 million tonnes of milk. A 2011 survey by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India found that 68 percent of milk samples were adulterated.  The tendency to add fat to milk to get rid of fat is a long-standing traditional concoction, but at the present time it is being mixed by some reckless elements which are very harmful to human health.  Milk contains a number of harmful substances / chemicals such as baking soda, caustic soda, starch salt, sugar, leukocytes, urea, detergents, vegetable ghee, maltodextrin (a type of kanji), sorbitol etc.  In addition, to maintain the milk for a long time, 3 health-harmful substances like formalin, hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda are mixed.

In some parts of India, artificial milk, which is extremely dangerous to health, is also made and mixed with pure milk.  Ingredients like urea, salt, baking soda, sugar, oil, detergent and water are used to make artificial milk.  If such artificial milk is mixed in pure milk up to 5%, it becomes difficult to catch it as this mixture does not cause recognizable changes in the color, taste and density of the milk.  Due to the natural nature of milk, the mixture is not easy to catch.  The benefits of this matter are at the expense of the health of the people.  Recently, a mixture of melamine, a chemical that is extremely harmful to children's health, has come to light in our neighboring country.

Considering all these factors, adulteration in milk is a serious threat to human health and it is necessary to develop appropriate tests for its prevention and testing.

Factors responsible for adulteration in milk:

(1) Inequality between supply and demand:

Developed countries produce more milk than they need.  Various products are made from the extra milk after daily consumption.  Such products are exported to other countries for higher returns.  This gives the milk producers a fair return. Due to the above, the highest quality of milk has to be maintained.  Hence the level of confusion in such countries is very low.

The situation in our country is different from this in which the demand for milk remains very high due to population growth, low and loose milk production and haphazard urbanization.  To deal with this, some reckless elements resort to mixing in milk and endangering the health of the people.

(2) Unorganized aggregation of milk :

Very little of the total milk production in our country is taken to unorganized sector dairies for processing.  The remaining 80 per cent is traded by small and unorganized producers, which increases the likelihood of adulteration.  Moreover, our country does not have a well-organized structure for aggregation and storage of milk production, which is responsible for the rapid deterioration of milk.

(3) Characteristics of milk spoilage :

If milk is not stored well, it spoils quickly due to its natural characteristic.  In our country, an unhygienic system is used to milk, store and send milk to dairies.  In addition, high temperatures and lack of cold units make it difficult to maintain milk.  In order to prevent spoilage of milk and sustain long lasting profits, some greedy elements resort to adulteration, adding harmful chemicals used to increase milk storage capacity.

(4) Lack of sound quality and effective legal system :

Some milk producers accept low quality milk as a priority to make full use of their dairy capacity.  Such an approach gives rise to inferior values.  Our country lacks strong quality system as compared to other developed countries and the legal provision is very complex and lengthy.  Due to which the adulteration in milk gets a free hand and such beneficial elements escape from the clutches of the law.

(5) Lack of quick and reliable ways / tests to detect confusion:

Milk is a natural chemical that can be easily mixed.  Some clever people mix more than one substance / chemical in milk at a time and make it difficult to test their milk.  Some innovative elements in recent years / Cases of chemicals being mixed into milk have come to light for which effective methods for testing have not been found, so the detection of adulteration in such cases cannot be ascertained.

(6) Starch :

A very cheap type of starch is used which can contain pathogens.

(7) Matodextrin :

A by-product of the starch industry.  Which can also contain pathogenic germs.

(8) Glucose :

Cheap and low quality glucose is used, which may contain pathogenic insects.

(9) Water :

Water containing contaminated and pathogenic germs is mostly used, which can cause water borne diseases like typhoid, gastroenteritis, cholera.

(10) Melamine :

Causes kidney and reproductive system diseases.  As a result, children's kidneys may stop working completely.

(11) Oils and vegetable fats :

Cheap type and low quality deficits and inedible oils are added, which are harmful to health in various ways.

Types and tests of adulteration in milk

Testing of substances / chemicals used for adulteration in milk:

(1) Hydrogen peroxide:

2 ml in a tube.  Take milk.  Add five drops of paraphenyl diamine solution (2%).  The brown solution indicates the presence of hydrogen peroxide.

(2) Hehner Test:

 Take the 5 ml milk in a tube.  Take sulfuric acid (sulfuric acid) in another tube and add one drop of ferric chloride (10%) solution.  Slowly pour the above solution into the milk taken in the first condensate 1 in such a way that the milk and acid levels in the condensate become separate.  If the color of the contact line between the two layers turns purple, it indicates the presence of formalin.  The green or brown color indicates the absence of formalin.

(3) Formalin (leach test):

Take ten ml of milk in a glass beak.  Add a few drops of ferric chloride made in quick salt acid.  The beaker is then heated 80 to 90*C.  Heat to room temperature for five minutes.  The purple solution indicates the presence of formaldehyde.

(4) Ph value :

Take 20-25 ml milk  in a small beak. Measure this milk by meter.  If the milk count is more than 7, it is possible that artificial milk has been mixed in the milk.

(5) Boric acid / borax :

Squeeze the hydrochloric acid into the nasal passages.  (Take 7 ml of acid and mix it in 100 ml of milk)  If the color of the strip turns red, boric acid, borax is said to be present.

(6) starch :

 Take 2 ml milk in one tube and boil it on a burner, then cool it and add two drops of iodine solution.  The brown solution indicates the presence of starch.

(7) Matrodexy :

 Take Five ml milk.  It contains 2 ml.  (0.05) Add iodine solution.  Now stir the solution in the nasal passages well.  The chocolate or bluish brown color indicates the presence of maltodextrin.

(8) Sugar :

Take 1 ml milk in a tube.  It contains 1 ml.  Apply a salivan off processor (0.5 ml of resorcinol and 2 ml of quick hydrochloric acid to 100 ml of the prepared solution).  Now place the cassava in boiling water for five minutes.  The red solution indicates the presence of sugar.

(9) Soda :

Take 2 ml milk in one tube and add the same amount of ethylene (alcohol).  Now add a few drops of rosolic acid solution and stir well.  Soda is said to be added if the solution is red or pink in color.

(10) Urea :

Take Five ml milk.  It contains 1 ml. Add the solution of dye methyl aminobenzaldehyde and stir well.  The yellow solution indicates the presence of urea urea from the outside.

(11) Nitrate :

 Take 10 ml milk  in a glass beaker. and add 1 ml.  Strain the mixture with acetic acid (1%).  Add two drops of diphenyl amine processor to the strainer.  The dark brown solution shows the addition of nitrate-containing water (lake river water).

(12) Salt :

  Take 2 ml milk  in one tube .  It contains 1 ml.  Solution of potassium chromate (3%) and 2 ml.  Add silver nitrate (0.1).  Stir the solution in the nasal passages well.  The yellow solution indicates a mixture of salt in the milk while the chocolate or bluish brown indicates a salt-free mixture.

(13) Detergent :

Take 2 ml milk in one tube.  Add the same amount of water and stir.  The presence of foam on the upper surface of the milk indicates a mixture of detergent soap.