Journal of Science and Technology

ISSN: 2456-5660 Volume 5, Issue 6, Nov-December 2020

www.jst.org.in DOI: https://doi.org/10.46243/jst.2020.v5.i6.pp37-41

Adulteration of Milk: A Review

Anisha Francis1, Twinkle Dhiman2 , K. Sumana Mounya3
3
(M.Tech. in Food Processing Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University, Kakinada (JNTUK), India)
1
(PhD scholar in Agricultural Processing & Food Engineering, Dept. of Food Processing Engineering, SHUATS,
U.P., India)
2
(Dietary Research Investigator, Dept. of Hematology, PGIMER-12, Chandigarh, India)
2
Corresponding Author: twinkledhiman47@gmail.com

To Cite this Article

Anisha Francis, Twinkle Dhiman and K. Sumana Mounya, “Adulteration of Milk: A Review”, Journal of Science
and Technology, Vol. 05, Issue 06, Nov-December 2020, pp37-41

Article Info
Received: 20-06-2020 Revised: 28-08-2020 Accepted: 10-09-2020 Published: 24-09-2020
Abstract: Milk is a good nutritious drink and is eaten for drinking as such, as well as by milk products, by a
majority of the population worldwide. The practice of milk adulteration, however, constantly reduces its quality and
can introduce hazardous substances into the dairy supply chain which endangers the health of consumers. Various
cases of milk adulteration have been reported globally, in which substances such as extraneous water, foreign
proteins, whey proteins, melamine and urea, vegetable or animal fats, plus many minor constituents of milk fat were
added as possible adulterants in milk and milk products. This article provides some information about adulteration
of milk and their detection process.
Keywords: milk, adulteration, milk adulterant, Urea, starch, Common Salt, Sugar
_____________________________________________________________________________________
I. Introduction
Milk is a compulsory part of the expectant mom's daily diet as well as growing infants. Due to its unique
nutritional value and its important role in human and animal health, milk is very important. In its most easily
attackable shape, it has all the substances needed by species. Milk is recommended for young and old people,
because of its nutritional value (Reddy et al., 2017).
Milk is defined as the full, fresh, clean, lacteal secretion obtained by complete milking of one or more
healthy animals except those obtained within fifteen days before or five days after calving, or such periods as may
be necessary to make milk practically colostrum free and contain the minimum specified percentage of milk fat (3.5
percent) and solids not fat (8.5 percent).
Milk has high food value if it is available in its natural form. I provide essential quantities of nutrients such
as high quality proteins, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals than any other single food. In addition to its
general need for human health, milk proteins supply certain amino acids that are required for proper adult and infant
development. Buffalo and cow's milk contain 7.6 and 4.5% fat, 3.8 and 3.8% protein, 4.9 and 4.9% lactose, 0.78 and
0.72% ash, 17 and 13.9% total solids, respectively (Afzal et al., 2011).
Casein micelles and fat globules give milk most of its physical characteristics, and give milk products such
as butter, paneer, curd, cheese, and so on taste and flavor. Milk composition varies considerably with cow breed,
lactation stage, feed, year season and many other factors. Some relationships between constituents, however, are
very stable, and can be used to show if there has been some tampering with the composition of milk. The
Government of India promulgated the 'Prevention of Food Adulteration Act' (PFA Act) in 1954 from the point of
view of protecting public health. The Act came into effect on June 1st, 1955. It forbids not only adulterated foods,
but also foods tainted with toxicants from being made, marketed and distributed (Rangappa & Achaya 1974).
Air, fat removal, addition of skim milk powder, reconstituted milk, thickening agents such as starch, flour, glucose,
urea, salt, chlorine are the characteristics of adulterants commonly contained in milk and milk items. Neutralizers
that typically consist of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and calcium hydroxide are
preservatives. Animal fats, aflatoxins, and vegetable oils are some rare ones.
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 Adulteration of Milk: A Review

II. Milk Adulteration

Adulteration is an act by which the quality of food offered for sale is purposely compromised either by
combining or substituting inferior substances or by eliminating some important ingredients (Food and Drug
Administration, 1995). Adulterated foods are harmful to health because they may contain various toxic chemicals
and may be deprived of the nutrients essential for the proper development and growth of the human body. Naturally,
pathogenic microorganisms, such as tuberculosis and hepatitis, are found in milk.
Moreover, in the adulteration of milk, Gawalas also have a major role. Milk used for consumption by individuals is
adulterated to such a degree that it has very little nutritional value and may even be harmful to public health. Milk
dealers can increase their profit margin by diluting three ways, removing useful components such as milk fat that is
removed as cream, adding inexpensive substances such as starch to lift the value of total solids to a level that
customers can embrace. In our country raw milk is distributed through a traditional method that includes
intermediaries called Gawalas. To maximize their benefit, these middlemen (Gawalas) used to adulterate milk.
Milk adulteration, poor hygiene, malpractices, lack of preservation technology, refrigeration facilities and
sanitation conditions are the key causes of losses in milk quantity and poor quality. Milk adulteration is achieved to
increase its thickness, then adding starch and other reconstituted milk powders to increase its viscosity. Often used
to improve the shelf-life of filthy milk ice and other chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, carbonates, bicarbonates,
antibiotics, caustic soda and even the most deadly chemical formalin. Urea adulterated milk is very dangerous to the
children, as it accelerates the puberty process (Bania et al., 2001).
Some adulterants, such as detergents, are used to boost the cosmetic character of milk. When water is
applied to milk, its foamy appearance diminishes, so artificial detergents are applied to it to give milk a foamy
appearance. To whiten the milk, hair removal powders and urea are applied to give it a genuine look. Just a few
grammes of urea is adequate to get milk back to its original state. During the summer season, hydrogen peroxide is
typically used to preserve milk when the ambient temperature is very high. This unethical practise is commonly
modified to avoid financial losses due to milk spoilage during the transport and selling of milk.

Common adulterants of milk

Figure: 1 Common adulterants of milk

III. Typical Adulterants and Their Health Hazards On Humans
Water
Water is the most widely added adulterant to increase milk production, which in turn reduces milk's nutritional
value. But it is a major health issue for the milk consuming population if polluted water is applied to milk.
Urea
Urea is added to milk to give whiteness, to increase milk quality, to increase nonprotein nitrogen content and content
of solid-not-fat (SNF) as present in natural milk for leveling. To prepare synthetic milk, urea is also used. Acidity,
indigestion, ulcers and cancers are associated with health hazards. Urea is harmful to the heart, particularly to the
liver for the kidneys, because the kidneys have to do more work to extract urea from their bodies.

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 Adulteration of Milk: A Review

Melamine
To wrongly raise the protein content melamine is added to the milk and milk powder. It causes the kidneys to
Failure and in extreme cases deaths.
Detergents
To emulsify and dissolve the oil in water, detergents are added that give a frothy solution, the characteristic white
colour of milk. They improve milk’s cosmetic character. Gastro-intestinal complications are caused by detergents.
Peroxides of hydrogen (H2O2)
To prolong its freshness, hydrogen peroxide is applied to the milk, but peroxides harm the gastrointestinal cells
which can lead to gastritis and intestinal inflammation. H2O2 disturbs the body's antioxidants, disrupting the normal
immunity and thereby growing ageing.
Starch
Starch is used to raise solid-not-fat (SNF), and if large levels of starch are added to milk, the effects of undigested
starch in the colon may cause diarrhoea. His body build-up can be very lethal for diabetic patients. Besides starch,
wheat flour, arrowroot, and rice flours are also added (Reddy et al., 2017).
Chlorine
After adding water chlorine is applied to compensate for the density of the diluted milk. Chlorinated milk can cause
arterial clogging and cause heart attacks. The acid base balance in the body and even the blood pH are disrupted by
chloride in the milk.
Sugar
Generally sugar is mixed in the milk to increase the solids not fat content of milk to increase the lactometer reading
of milk, which was already diluted with water.
Neutralizers
In synthetic milk, NaOH is often used to neutralise the acidic effect. In India synthetic milk is a common problem
that is prepared by adding urea, caustic soda, refined oil and common detergents. For those suffering from
hypertension and heart ailments, caustic soda contains sodium and serves as a slow poison. Caustic soda deprives
the body of the use of lysine, an essential amino acid in milk which grows babies need. Such artificial milk is unsafe
to all, but harms pregnant women more (Bhatt et al., 2008).
Food colours
Often several food colouring agents are introduced to enhance appearance and have dangerous health effects.
Milk powder
The milk powder is often introduced in fresh milk as an adulterant. This is achieved for economic gain when a
nation has surplus milk powder or dried powder milk is provided with subsidies.
Low valued Milk
By combining lower valued milk with higher valued milk, milk is adulterated. Goat milk, for example, is frequently
adulterated with cow milk for greater benefit. It has been found that the health risks associated with this activity are
not well described, but from a commercial and ethical perspective this is a major problem in the food industry (Jha
and Matsuoka 2004).
Whey
The addition of liquid-whey to raise the amount of milk is a very common procedure. Low-priced rennet whey
sometimes blends with liquid milk and milk powder. Whey, the strong rennet whey is commonly found in milk. The
addition of solid rennet whey to UHT milk causes blood pressure to decrease. For greater benefit, some businessmen
use inexpensive muriatic acid to prepare whey, which causes severe health problems.
Preservatives
Micro-organism production spoils the milk and spoiled milk isn't good for health. The milk can be protected for a
long time by boric acid, formalin, sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), salicylic acid,
benzoic acid , sodium azides and toxic effects that can lead to death. It induces stomach pain, diarrhoea , vomiting
and other symptoms associated with poisoning.
Non-Milk Proteins & fats
Milk, milk powder and other milk products are often adulterated by low-priced non-milk proteins such as soy, peas
and soluble wheat proteins. Whey powder from bovine rennet is often mixed with milk powder. Milk fat is also
augmented by other sources of fat which can also pose a risk to human health. Since milk fat is very expensive,
some manufacturers of dairy and milk products exclude milk fat for additional financial gain and make up for it by
adding non-milk fat, such as vegetable oil.

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 Adulteration of Milk: A Review

Detection of Milk Adulteration: Various milk adulterants and the method used to detect those adulterants are
presented.
Table No.3 Detection of different edible adulterants in milk

Adulterant Procedure Observation

Take a taste of 10 ml of milk in a test tube. Add just 5 A red colour appearance suggests that added sugar
Sugar ml of conc. HCl and resorcinol at 0.1 g. Place the test is present
tube in a bath of water for 5 minutes.

Test 3 ml of milk in a test tube. Cool it to room A blue colour appearance suggests the presence of
temperature after stirring thoroughly. Add 1 percent starch .
Starch iodine solution with 2 to 3 drops

Take a taste of 1 ml of milk in a test tube. Apply 1 ml The sudden presence of a deep blue colour
of Barford 's updated reagent. Heat the mixture in a suggests that glucose is present
Glucose bath of boiling water for precisely 3 minutes.
Refrigerate easily under tap water. Shake well and
apply 1ml of phospomolybdic acid.
Take a sample of 5 ml of milk into a test tube. Add 1 The yellow colour appearance suggests the
ml solution of 0.1 N silver nitrate. Mix the contents presence of added salts, while the brick red colour
Common
salt thoroughly and apply 10 % potassium chromate shows the milk free from added salt.
solution of 0.5 ml

1/10 Dilute the milk. On the middle of a glass slide, Within half a minute, curdy particles form in milk
place a drop of diluted milk. Now placed a drop of the that contains buffalo milk.
Buffalo milk Hansa test serum (duly preserved) on the milk drop and
mix with a glass rod or clean tooth pick
Add nitric acid drop by drop in to the test milk sample The development of orange colour, it indicates the
Skim milk
milk is adulterated with skim milk powder.
powder
Samples without skim milk powder shows yellow
color.
Source: (Pappas et al., 2008)
IV. Conclusion
Normally, adulteration in milk is present in its most crude Hey, shape. Sometimes, banned substances are
added or occasionally added. Milk has been completely replaced by synthetic milk. This is, this is, For financial
advantage, over. Yet, several times, carelessness and carelessness are the absence of hygienic manufacturing,
storage, transportation conditions and adulteration is caused by marketing. Such kinds In developed nations,
adulteration is very normal. Or countries that are backward. However, milk adulteration is a serious concern. Also,
issues in developing countries. In those nations, advanced techniques are used to adulterate milk and need
sophisticated approaches to identification. Consumers are either tricked or, by drinking adulterated milk, often

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 Adulteration of Milk: A Review

become victims of diseases. To ensure adulterant-free milk for consumption, quality control tests for milk are a
significant feature. Some of the common diseases caused by the ingestion of adulterated milk are hypertension,
kidney disease, skin, eye, heart disease and cancer. To adulterate milk, hundreds of different techniques are being
implemented. And the technique of detection ranges from basic visual inspection to complex biological systems.
This paper offers a summary of the various elements used in the adulteration of milk, the adulteration technique, and
an in-depth analysis of the electrical methods adopted for the adulteration of milk. The paper is intended to help
researchers get an overall understanding of the adulteration of milk and its methods of detection.
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