Lahore: Milk adulteration statistics

[Naveed Yaseen]

The Quality Operation Laboratory of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore conducted 665 milk adulterant tests from 41 milk samples (10 loose milk, 28 packed and 3 powder milk samples) from July 2008 to April 2009 on commercial basis.

According to a press statement the tests were conducted for detection of milk adulterants including formalin, hydrogen peroxide, detergents, salts, quaternary ammonium compounds, cane sugar, sorbitol, carbonates, urea, boric acid, hypochlorite and starch.

The tests detected added water in two out of 10 loose milk samples and 22 out of 28 packed milk samples. Carbonate was found in two samples of loose milk and one in packed milk.

Cane sugar was not found in loose milk while it was detected in seven samples of packed milk. Quaternary Ammonium Compounds were found in two samples each of both loose and packed milk. While Aflatoxin M1 was found in two out of three commercial powder milk samples and also in two out of 10 loose milk samples.

It may be mentioned that some samples of milk were tested for all the adulterants while other samples were tested as per customer demands only for specific adulterants.

In research studies, 120 milk samples (80 loose and 40 packed samples) were collected from Shadman, Old Lahore, Allama Iqbal Town, Defence, Sagian Pul and Shahdra Town area. Milk shops, gawalas, small dairy farms and milk collection units were targeted for loose and packed milk sampling.

A total of 3,840 tests were performed on these samples. Added water ranged from 11 percent to 49 percent in loose milk samples. Hydrogen peroxide was detected in 6 loose milk samples; Quaternary ammonium compounds in 5 loose milk samples; urea in 16 loose milk samples; Boric acid in 21 loose milk samples; carbonate in 32 loose milk samples; formalin in 5 loose milk samples and starch was detected in 19 loose milk samples.

Added water ranged from 6 to 14 percent in packed milk samples; hydrogen peroxide in 2 packed milk samples; starch in 6 packed milk samples and sugar was detected in 29 packed milk samples.

These results indicate trends of different adulterants used in marketable milk. However in order to ensure the adulteration or contamination-free supply of the marketed loose or packed milk to consumers, an organized and systematic plan of sampling and analysis needs to be implemented.

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