Adulterated Ghee: Concerns about substandard raw materials slipping through laboratory controls

As debates and discussions revolve around the use of adulterated ghee to make Tirupati Laddus, a larger debate has emerged over the quality of milk and its by-products. In particular, allegations suggest that palm olein is mixed with milk, ghee or vanaspati, raising questions about the testing mechanisms used in India to ensure that products are not substandard and free from adulteration.

While the Laddu controversy has reached the top court of the land, the Supreme Court ordered an investigation by an independent special investigation team – comprising two members of the CBI, two members of the AP State Police and an FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority). (of India) Member monitored by CBI Director – Industry players wonder how to ensure clean raw materials.

Industry sources reported business area that some Malaysian players produce palm oil, pasteurize it into oil and blend beef tallow to maintain the BR (Butyro Refractometer Value) and RM (Reichert-Meissl Value). This is to ensure that conventional testing methods do not detect the adulteration. They process various animal fats into powder, mix it with palm oil and export it to India.

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In addition, different animal fats are imported into the country in different ways. Many unscrupulous entrepreneurs mix these fats or palm oil with milk (costing around ₹30 per kg) and supply it to unsuspecting milk factories.

According to Mohamad Fadhil Hasan, head of external affairs at the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), it is “impossible” for refineries to blend animal fats because the entire palm oil process does not involve any animal components. In addition, animal oil is strictly regulated by BPOM (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan, a non-ministerial government institution), the Ministry of Health and BPJPH (Badan Penanggulangan Jaminan Produk Halal) to ensure that it meets safety and quality standards.

When asked about the quality controls in place to prevent adulteration before export to India, he said, “We have strict quality control measures at every stage of the production process. In addition, thorough quality checks are carried out before the goods are loaded onto the ships. Any form of adulteration is detected as we adhere to strict quality standards, both locally through SNI (Standard National Indonesia) and internationally through export standards such as PORAM (Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia) and FOSFA (Federation of Oils, Seeds and). fatty dressings).”

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However, an experienced trader who did not want to be named said this business area that this has been happening across the country for years. He pointed to the Jain Shudh Vanaspati scam as the first known case of adulteration in which beef tallow was mixed with vegetable oils and sold as vanaspati.

“Beef tallow looks like butter. It mixes easily with palm oil,” he said, adding that many traders had even sold vanaspati with palm oil as ghee in the past few years.

According to another source, palm oil is mixed with milk and traders ensure that it correctly indicates a fat content of less than 3.5 percent. “The problem is that unscrupulous elements know how to circumvent quality controls,” the source said, adding that these supplies find their way into ghee production.

According to some industry sources, almost 70 percent of ghee sold is substandard. One reason is that market players are indulging in such practices due to the increasing demand for ghee. The FSSAI, along with scientific bodies, has developed a method to detect ghee adulteration. However, this testing method is only applicable to four vegetable oils: soybean oil, peanut oil, coconut oil and sunflower oil. This makes it vulnerable to manipulation and can be let through unnoticed, an industry observer said.

(With contributions from Subramani Ra Mancombu, Chennai)