A glass of health hazard

Adulterated milk

If someone offers you urea, detergent, starch, caustic soda, white paint and polluted water for consumption, will you have it? Of course not! But if you are told that that glass of milk that you drink and force your kids to drink every day, thinking it to be a wholesome diet, has all these elements, then do believe it. Over 68 per cent of the milk in India has been found to be adulterated in a research by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (fssai). That means two out of three Indians drink adulterated milk every day!

India is the world’s largest milk producer. Milk has a great significance in our culture. After breastfeeding, cow’s milk is given to toddlers for their brain development and overall growth. For ages, mothers and grandmothers have laid importance on the consumption of haldi, badam and kesar milk for everyone, which is now gaining popularity in the West. Milk is offered to the husband on the first night considering it to be a source of strength. At the time of sickness, milk comes to our rescue. Many items like curd, panner, ghee, makhan, ice-creams, shakes, kulfi, cheese, khoya and sweets are prepared from milk on a daily basis in our homes and outside. Our very own milk chai is the energy drink of most Indians.

Milk and milk products are a must in the diet of a vegetarian. Calcium, high quality proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins like riboflavin, A and D, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium in milk make it nature’s nearly perfect food and an important part of a healthy diet for people of all ages. Milk is the most trusted health drink in our country. Its health benefits include increased bone strength, smoother skin, stronger immune system, prevention of illnesses such as hypertension, dental decay, dehydration, respiratory problems, obesity, osteoporosis and even some forms of cancer and some chronic ailments.

Despite all these benefits, the greed of a few adulterers has turned this health drink into slow poison. Water is a common adulterant added to milk to increase its volume, but the problem is that the consumers immediately make out the presence of it. The taste of the milk changes, it does not boil over while heating but keeps boiling inside the vessel, the tea is insipid and formation of cream is reduced. To avoid getting caught, the adulterator adds certain substances to the ‘watered’ milk to improve its thickness, taste, density and viscosity. The common adulterants are formalin, urea, starch, neutralisers, detergents, sodium chloride, skimmed milk powder, sucrose, glucose/dextrose, and hydrogen peroxide. Some of these are referred to as solid-not-fats (SNF) and are used to cover the quantity of natural fats missing in the ‘watered’ milk. Adulteration may also be incidental due to lack of knowledge and hygiene. Milk adulteration is high during festivals due to its high demand.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has reported that milk adulterants have hazardous health effects. The detergent added to emulsify and dissolve the oil in water giving a frothy solution can cause food poisoning and other gastrointestinal complications. Its high alkaline level can also damage body tissues and destroy proteins. Other synthetic components can cause impairments, heart problems, cancer or even death. Urea added to provide whiteness, increase consistency and level the contents of (SNF) in milk can lead to vomiting, nausea, kidney problems and gastritis. Caustic soda can be dangerous for people suffering from hypertension and heart ailments. It harms the mucosa of the food pipe especially in kids.

Carbonates and bicarbonates added to prevent spoilage of milk can cause disruption in hormone signalling that regulate development and reproduction. Formalin can cause more severe damage to the body like liver damage. Starch added to improve the thickness is fatal for diabetic patients and can cause indigestion. The health impact of drinking milk adulterated with these chemicals is worse for children.

Testing milk at home

For a lay person, trying to differentiate between contaminated and pure milk is difficult and only specific chemical tests can reveal the truth. But as per the guidelines given by FSSAI and FDA (Food safety and Drug Administration), some simple household tests can be conducted at home for detection of adulterants in milk.

Water : The presence of water can be detected by putting a drop of milk on a polished slanting surface. The drop of pure milk flows leaving a white trail behind, whereas milk adulterated with water will flow immediately without leaving a mark.

Starch: Add a few drops of tincture of iodine or iodine solution. Formation of blue colour indicates the presence of starch. Iodine solution is easily available in medical stores.

Urea: Take a teaspoon of milk in a test tube. Add half a teaspoon of soybean or arhar powder. Mix the contents thoroughly by shaking the test tube. After five minutes, dip a red litmus paper in it. Remove the paper after half a minute. A change in colour from red to blue indicates the presence of urea in the milk.

Vanaspati : Take 3 ml of milk in a test tube. Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid. Mix one teaspoonful of sugar. After 5 minutes, examine the mixture. The red colouration indicates the presence of vanaspati in milk.

Formalin: Take 10 ml of milk in a test tube and add 5 ml of con sulphuric acid from the sides of the wall without shaking. If a violet or blue ring appears at the intersection of the two layers then it shows presence of formalin.

Detergent: Shake 5-10 ml of milk with an equal amount of water, lather indicates the presence of detergent.

Synthetic milk: This has a bitter after taste, gives a soapy feeling on rubbing between the fingers and turns yellowish on heating. The milk can be easily tested by urease strips (available in medical stores) because synthetic milk is devoid of protein. Positive urease strips also determine that the milk contains glucose.

Prevention is better than cure

• Select milk that has been packaged in material that minimises light absorption. Sunlight destroys vitamins, especially riboflavin, and affects the flavour of milk.
• Look for the longitudinal central seals on the milk packets and the date of packing. If the date is not the current one then chances are the packet is a recycled one.
• Milk should be continuously stirred while boiling and cooled quickly to lessen the loss of vitamins, minerals and protein.
• Refrigerate the milk after boiling, at least below 8 degrees Celsius, for later use, to minimise bacterial contamination.
• Drink milk only after boiling it, never raw.
• To check if your packet is not tampered with, press it in the middle. If it forms a regular arc on the top then it is fine but if it forms a straight line, look carefully at the corners to detect fresh sealing, which may indicate adulteration or less volume.
• Fresh milk should be kept cooled, sealed (so that it does not absorb other flavours and odours), and in dark places.
• Consumers should opt for packaged pasteurised milk and not loose milk.