Detection of Harmful Adulterants in Milk Supplied to Delhi, India

Milk adulteration is a serious problem in developing countries. It cheats the consumers and poses a serious threat to their health. The present qualitative analysis was undertaken to study the presence of adulterants in milk supplied to Delhi and adjoining regions (Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida). A comparative analysis was carried out for the extent of different adulterants present in both packaged and locally available milk samples. Seventy five milk samples were tested for the presence of neutralizers, skimmed milk powder, urea, detergent and ammonium sulphate. Most milk samples collected from Delhi and adjoining regions tested positive for neutralizers and skimmed milk powder. In addition, some samples also tested positive for detergent, urea and ammonium sulphate. Considerable number of unpackaged milk samples showed presence of ammonium sulphate and detergents compared to packaged ones. Surprisingly, urea was present only in packaged samples.