If I mix chalk powder with water, add chemicals to it, and sell it to you as milk. Will you buy and drink it?

Why not? You do this every day.

Most of us assume that we should only purchase milk packets distributed by the government thinking that they can never cheat their own people. But when this government allows corruption in every single field, then why not in milk? Nowadays major part of the milk in the packets is not a primary lactation product of a buffalo or a cow but restored milk powder. Isn’t it shocking?

Some own studies done by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prove that more than 75% of products in milk packets are nothing but water,detergent, vegetable fat, paint, Hydrogen peroxide, formalin, urea, sugar, glucose, vanaspati, starch, salt caustic soda, paint, detergent Hydrogen Peroxide,and Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP).

So DON’T ASSUME. Packed milk from reputed brands, as well as milk from common vendors, can be adulterated.

It is important to check what you are actually consuming. Test for adulteration in milk can be done at home only. That too using simple ways. Do check and be safe.

How To check Purity of Milk for the following adulterants?

Water

• Place a drop of milk on a polished,slanting surface.
• If it’s pure milk, the drop will flow slowly, leaving a white trail behind it.
• Whereas adulterated milk will flow immediately without leaving behind any mark.

Starch

• Take a sample milk in a spoon.
• Add 1-2 drops of iodine solution or tincture of iodine to it.
• Formation of a blue color indicates the presence of starch.
• Note- Iodine solution can be easily found in any medical store.

Urea

• Take a teaspoon of milk in a small cup.
• Add half teaspoon arhar or soyabean powder to it.
• Mix up the contents thoroughly.
• After 5 min, Dip a red litmus paper in it.
• Remove the paper after half a minute.
• Observe the color change.
• If red litmus paper turns blue. It indicates a presence of urea in a milk.

Detergent

• Take 5-10ml of the milk sample with an equal amount of water in it.
• Shake well.
• Formation of lather or froth indicates the presence of detergent.

Synthetic Milk

• Synthetic milk has a bitter after taste.
• It gives a soapy feeling when rubbed between the fingers.
• When heated, it turns yellowish.

Also, Do you Know?

Recently, An IIT student has invented a paper strip which can detect adulterated milk within seconds. The strip is divided into various zones with which one can detect as many as four adulterants in a single test. The specialty of this invention is its simplicity and cost effectiveness.

Reference: Link 1