Coimbatore: Close to 25% of raw milk samples collected by the district food safety department two weeks ago in the city were found to be substandard. Three of the 12 samples collected were found to be low in milk solid-not-fat (MSNF) content, because they may have been diluted with water, suspect officials. The solid-not-fat contributes to the vitamins and minerals in milk.
Acting on complaints of adulteration in milk, the district food safety department had collected 12 samples of raw milk from local pushcart vendors. "We collected raw milk samples from 12 randomly selected vendors from across the city two weeks ago," said the designated food safety officer, Dr OLS Vijay. "We had sent the samples to the laboratory to check for the presence of harmful adulterants and if they meet the FSSAI (food safety and standards act of India) standards," he added.
The results of the tests, which came on Tuesday, found that three of the 12 samples were found to have low milk solid-not-fat content. "The milk solid-not-fat content was less than the required 8.5% and in some cases it was hardly 4%. This makes it a substandard product," said a senior food safety official.
Milk solid-not-fat, also called serum solids, contains lactose, caseins or phosphoproteins, proteins and minerals content in the milk. "When you reduce the MSNF content, the milk loses these vital benefits and nutrition. We suspect that milk vendors add water to cow's milk," said the official.
Officials suspect that many vendors simply purchase packets of full fat milk from bigger brands, add the same proportion of water and sell them. "They buy full fat milk for Rs40 a litre, add water and sell it for Rs25 to Rs28 per litre," he said. While one of the vendors caught is from Rathinapuri, the other two are also suspected to be from the newly added areas in the city.
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