Do you know that

fresh milk may not

be safe even after
boiling ?
 Most of us recall our grandmothers
T he dictionary says fresh means
recently obtained. A few decades
ago milk in most of the households
with a lot of fondness. Our recollections
are filled with memories of incidents
was supplied by the milkman after demonstrating granny’s selfless love
milking the animal, most often in and affection. Any argument with
front of the houses. one’s mother was always decided
in favour of the grandchild by the
Research has proved that the raw grandmother who often assigned
milk thus obtained may contain cer- herself the responsibility of being the
tain disease causing organisms in- judge .Today one should recall her
fecting the animal being milked. It with admiration! If you remember
may also contain the residue of the your growing years whenever
antibiotic administered to the animal you wanted to skip a meal your
to combat disease. Hence it is not grandmother would insist on your
advisable to drink such milk even af- having a cup of milk instead. Today
ter boiling, as even boiling does not the health and fitness industry talks
totally render the antibiotics inactive. about meal replacements which are
powders to be gulped down either
Pasteurized and homogenised milk mixed with water or a little milk.
is safe for consumption provided
it conforms to Safety and Quality Our grandmothers certainly had the
Standards of Food Safety and wisdom to consider that milk can
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). serve as a meal replacement!

What is milk? milk. Only colostrum collected from

the single first milking within 0-6
Just like a mother lactates to feed hours after birth maintains nature’s
her child, the cow or buffalo also perfect balance and highest levels of
produces milk for her calf; this milk immunological and body regulating
is drawn by us and collected for biologically active proteins. Colostrum
our use, Milk (cow or buffalo) may is beneficial to humans and animals.
be defined as the lacteal secretion Newborns (human and veterinary
obtained by complete milking of one mammals) need first milking colostral
or more healthy milch animals. proteins to awaken their organs,
Colustrum – Nature’s best kept glands and all other body functions.
secret: These same regulating bio-proteins
Colostrum is the first lacteal secretion continue to normalize, regulate and
produced by the mammary gland of maintain normal body function at
a mother prior to the production of any age.
 Test Report on Milk

Myth: Babies need to have formula the first few days after birth because the
milk hasn’t “come in” yet.

Mythbuster: The mother’s body is in small amounts helping her to

preparing to breastfeed her baby learn to breastfeed -Milk should also
even before it is born! Around the contain the minimum prescribed
5th month of pregnancy, a yellow, percentages of milk fat and milk
nutrient-rich fluid called colostrums Solids Not Fat (SNF) which are the
is produced. It is available as soon protein, carbohydrates, minerals (eg.
as the baby is born. Colostrum is Calcium) and vitamins. Nature has
the perfect first food for premature intended that Milk is produced to
as well as full-term infants. Right nurture the young ones; it is one food
after the baby’s birth, the sudden which is nutritionally balanced and
drop in progesterone tells the complete in all nourishment required
body there is a baby to feed and it by the body. Let us not forget that
switches gears to begin producing milk produced by the milch animal is
milk. The transition from colostrum intended by nature for the calf and
to mature milk is a gradual process. not human beings.
Colostrum is delivered to the baby 3
Nutrients in milk
Fat: Carbohydrates:
Milk contains fat which is required for Milk also contains carbohydrates
many functions in the body including which provide the body with energy
storage and provision of energy, required for most functions in the
production of hormones, protection, body. Lactose is the principal and
warmth and provision of fat soluble typical carbohydrate of milk, known
vitamins amongst many others. as milk sugar. The proteins present
The fat in milk contributes unique in the milk are casein and whey
characteristics to the flavour, texture, protein. Whey is left over when milk
appearance and satiability of dairy coagulates and contains everything
foods as well as providing a source that is soluble from milk. It is the
of fat soluble vitamins, essential fatty liquid remaining after extracting
acids and other health promoting paneer (coagulated portion) from
compounds. The fat present in milk milk by adding a few drops of lemon
exists as small globules throughout juice.
the milk. They are less dense than
water and rise to the top forming Vitamins:
a layer of cream. The process of Milk contains fat soluble vitamins A, D,
“homogenization” undertaken at E and K, and water soluble vitamins B
several dairies breaks these fat vitamins – B12, B1, B2, B6, Niacin and
globules into smaller globules and Folic acid and Vitamin C. The exact
therefore they do not rise to the top. components of raw milk vary from
Milk that is marketed is sold in animal to animal, but as it contains
sachets or bottles and is classified as significant amounts of fat, protein
whole, standardized, toned, double and calcium as well as Vitamin C it
toned and skimmed milk, based on is wholesome and complete with all
the fat content. nutrients.
 Test Report on Milk

Types of Milk Available in the market

Type of Milk Characteristics

It is the milk supplied by the milkman after milking the animal.

Raw Sometimes, If the animal suffers from mastitis or any other
disease, the disease causing organisms or the residues of the
drug given to the animal, will be present in the milk.

Pasteurized milk supplied as packaged milk by the organized

Pasteurised sector is heated up to not less than 72.5o C for 16 seconds and
automatically and immediately cooled down to 4o C.

All the fat is broken down and the size of the fat globule will
be less than 0.1 micron and fully dispersed; consequently this
milk will look more viscous. This is easily digestible, and curd
Homogenised
set using this milk, is of uniform consistency in comparison
to that made from non-homogenized milk. At the same time
skimming of the milk at home by removing the cream from
the milk, and churning out butter is not possible.

In this type of milk lactose is completely removed and it is

Lactose Free ideal for children/adults having Lactose intolerance (that
leads to diahorrea).

This is zero bacteria milk and is a special type of milk with

less Lactic acid. This milk is heated up to 145 degree C for
3.5 seconds to destroy all bacteria and viruses and cooled
Tetra Pack to room temperature ( 26 degree C to 28 degree C ) before
Ultra Heat Milk
packing in sterile cartons. Since this milk is heated up to 1450
C, this is known as Ultra Heat Temperature (UHT) Milk. It has a
long shelf life (180 days) and it is very expensive.

5
 Classification of milk based on fat content
Type of Milk Fat % SNF Use
Ideal for youngsters and for making
Full Cream 6% 9% milk sweets
Ideal for all, except senior citizens who
Standardised 4.5 % 8.5 % do less physical work.

Toned 3% 8.5 % Suitable for all – the young and the old

Double This is recommended for persons trying to

1.5 % 9%
Toned shed excess weight as it contains less fat.

Dieter’s delight. But tastes poor and it is very

Skimmed > .5% 9%
thin in consistency as all fat is removed.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN TEST MILK AT texture of smoothness and roughness
HOME by just swirling a little milk in the
mouth.
Most of us are adept at clearly stating
B. Lactometer Reading: Check with
the quality of the milk. There are some
lactometer for any adulteration with
simple easy to perform tests listed the addition of water. The specific
below which help to check whether gravity of unadulterated milk will
the milk is adulterated or neutralizers have to be 27/28 at room temperature.
or adulterants have been added to This meter is not expensive; it
enhance the total solids (TS) to get can be procured online from the
a better price. Neutralisers like soda manufacturers or a dealer dealing in
bicarb, urea in small but identifiable pressure gauges.
quantities, are added to milk to get
higher SNF which means a better Water is added sometimes even to
price. packed milk available in sachets.
Unscrupulous persons cut open
TESTS THAT CAN BE DONE IN THE the sachet in the corner, draw the
KITCHEN milk and reseal it after adding the
same volume of water. Even, if 50
A. Organoleptic (OT) Test: It is nothing ml is drawn from each sachet, the
but tasting the milk and checking adulterator can collect 2.5 litres from
whether freshness is retained and 50 one litre packets and make an
it possesses a milky flavour or if the illegal earning of nearly Rs.80-100 a
milk is sour or thready? One can feel a day.
6
 Test Report on Milk

C. Test for Neutralizers: While doing traders; Hence the basic public
the OT test described above, if any health and economic consideration
irritation is felt in the mouth, then it necessitates that consumers should
could be due to the addition of some be provided with pure, unadulterated,
neutralizer (carbonate/urea — also bacteriologically safe, quality milk. To
used as a fertilizer) to improve the ensure this, Government of India has
specified the standards in Prevention
shelf life of milk; consequently there
of Food Adulterants (PFA) Rules1955
is an increase in Total Solids (TS),
under and PFA Act 1954. This has
which will fetch a better price for such been now changed to Food Safety
milk. CONCERT has developed a SPOT and Standard (FS and S) Rules (2011)
TEST KIT called Annam Kit which can under FS and S Act 2006. There are
be used to detect the adulteration of BIS (IS) standards for different
foods at home including milk. This types of milk. Conformance to these
simple method to detect adulteration standards is compulsory. The milk
at household level will be useful to you buy in sachets must conform to
consumers to select right type of food FSSA standard.
or to avoid foods of doubtful quality.
What is Comparative Testing?
QUALITY OF MILK AND NEED FOR Comparative Testing is a formal
COMPARATIVE TESTING process by which different brands
of a product category are tested
Milk is an integral part of nutrition. for Quality, for conformance to the
The production of milk in India is minimum standards laid down by
in the hands of cattle farmers in Bureau of Indian Standards. Such
villages, far from the dairies. The a test also reveals, if a particular
producers do not know about the tested brand exceeds such minimum
need for making wholesome, clean standards, whether there can be
milk available to consumers and how potential health and safety hazards
to avoid contamination. Because of and verification of special claims by
that, micro organisms gain entry manufacturers, if any. The results for
into milk; other factors -like delay all the tested brands are published
in transportation, improper cleaning in a Comparative Test Report which
of cans etc. (also aid in growth of the would provide consumers information
micro organisms.) to make an informed choice.
CONCERT has undertaken this
Further, milk and milk products project of Comparative Testing for
are easily subjected to adulteration Southern Region under a grant from
by unscrupulous producers and Department of Consumer Affairs,
7
Government of India. In the first year, Bacteriological Analysis - The
Concert will be testing 7 products and following bacteria may be found in
3 services. One of the products selected the milk you use; it can be dangerous
for testing is the packaged milk. The if it exceeds the permitted limit.
Comparative Testing of Milk has been
E. coli – is a bacteria which causes
carried out to evaluate the popular
enteritis, urinary infection etc., when it
brands of packaged milk sold in the
exceeds the threshold level. It should
four states of South India namely
be absent in the milk.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka. A market survey Coliform bacteria – Its presence
revealed that 70 % of the milk used is indicates unhygienic manufacturing
Toned milk, 25 % milk is standardized process.
milk, and the other type of milk is only The under mentioned pathogenic or
5 %. Therefore only Standardized and disease causing bacteria, if present
toned milk were tested. Purchasing in milk will cause harmful effects as
the fresh samples from the 4 states under:
and sending the procured sample to
the testing lab was quite challenging Salmonella – causes food poisoning
as the milk sample had to be kept and typhoid.
between 0-4 deg. C to ensure the milk Listeria – causes Listeriosis infections
is not spoilt and to ensure the right which may create symptoms
microbiological content of the milk is such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea,
maintained. lethargy, difficulty in breathing.
PARAMETERS FOR TESTING Staphylococcus – causes food
poisoning, diarrhoea and gastritis.
Health and Safety These pathogenic bacteria should be
Milk though wholesome and nutritive, absent in the milk.
will do more harm than good if the
safety standards are compromised. Total count Bacteria: Though it is
The health and safety parameters considered to be of non-pathogenic
go hand in hand. Since milk is a (harmless) origin, when it exceeds the
secretion from the body of an animal FSSAI standard limits, it is indicative
it will carry all the micro organisms of unhygienic processing of milk
the animal is infected with, as well as bringing down the shelf life and
the antibiotic residue administered to increasing the acidity very fast. If
treat and combat the infection of the such milk is consumed it will lead to
milching animal. indigestion and related ailments.
8
 Test Report on Milk

Antibiotic Residue: When the animal Melamine contamination was found

is suffering from Mastitis (udder in some milk samples in China and
infection) it is treated with Antibiotic this led to severe action being taken
infusion in the udder through the by the Food and Drug authorities.
teats. As per norms, once the animal This raised a lot of questions in the
is treated with antibiotic infusion minds of consumers regarding the
for mastitis, milk should not be used safety of the milk being consumed
for 4 days after the animal is cured, by them and there was extensive
as the residue of antibiotic will be coverage in the media. Consequent
there in the milk. It is not advisable to this, imports of food items from
to consume this milk that will cause China were banned in India.
allergic sensitivity, skin rashes etc.
Very often this norm is neglected and b. Aflatoxin: When the animal is fed
not adhered to by the cattle farmers. with feed that is fungal (aflatoxin)
infected, it will get excreted in the
OTHER SAFETY CRITERIA milk. This should not be present in
Milk should be free from toxic material the milk as per WHO Standard. When
like heavy metal, pesticide residue, such milk is consumed it will act like a
Melamine and aflatoxin should cumulative poison and it will damage
be absent or within the limit and the liver and cause cirrhosis.
conform to the standard prescribed
under the FSSAI. c. Heavy metal - Lead:
It should be absent in the milk and
a.Melamine: It is a synthetic chemical if lead laden milk is consumed it will
and is used to adulterate skim milk cause cumulative poison and develop
powder to enhance protein content to cancer.
fetch better price. This is very injurious
to health. During the manufacture d. Pesticide residue:
of standardized, toned milk, such It should conform to standards
adulterated skim milk powder is prescribed in PFA now FSSAI. If it
added to maintain protein content to exceeds the prescribed limits it will
conform to BIS and FSSAI standards, cause peptic ulcers and even cancer
by some unscrupulous manufacturers. after prolonged usage.
If such milk is consumed, melamine
poisoning will occur. Melamine e. Chemical analysis:
poisoning will affect the kidney and This is done to ascertain the
the urinary bladder — melamine percentage of protein, fat, lactose and
should be totally absent in the milk. calcium in the milk.
9
QUALITY Adulteration in Milk:

Milk being highly perishable, due Milk is adulterated to earn better

care should be taken to preserve profits. Dairies and cattle farmers,
the quality of the milk from the time add the adulterants knowingly and
of milking, to processing, transport unknowingly. The cattle farmers most
often do not know the consequences
and up to the point of consumption.
of their action. Commonly used
Proper hygienic measures have to adulterants are Salt, Cane Sugar and
be taken in all the processes before Urea (used in fertilizers and farming),
milking, during collection, and also which are easily available in the
during the processing. - maintaining villages; it is added to the milk to
the temperature of milk below 4 deg. boost Solid Not Fat (SNF) in milk to
C during transportation, distribution get a better price. This is prohibited
etc. till it reaches the consumers. This as per the FSS Act. The processed
is a very important factor to ensure milk should be free from all such
the freshness of the milk is preserved. adulterants.
If any slackness occurs in the entire
process, acidity in milk will shoot up Concerts comaparitive test checked
all these important standards in the
which is likely to affect one’s health.
market samples and the results are
It takes a lot of effort to preserve
given in the following table.
the milk. To make this task simpler
as well as compensate the slack
in the processing, preservatives
and neutralizers such as Hydrogen
Peroxide and Carbonates are added,
to ensure the milk retains its quality.
This is the normal practice among
cattle farmers and also unscrupulous
dairies but is prohibited as per the
FSSA Act as it is injurious to health.
Milk, as already explained, contains
Fat and Solid Not Fat (SNF) which are
the carbohydrates, proteins, minerals
and vitamins present. The price of
milk is usually determined by its Fat
and /or SNF content. This Fat and
SNF put together is termed as TOTAL
SOLIDS (TS).

10
 Test Report on Milk

Toned Milk
Brand offer & Health & Quality MRP Color Taste Smell
of Milk packing Safety Price
label (500ml)

Hatsun Very Very Good R`.14.00 White & Milky Milky

(HG)(TN) Good Good Dull

Aavin Blue Very Light

Nice (TN) Good Good Good `10.25 Yellowish Milky Milky
White
Nandini Very Light Milky/
(KA) Good Good Good `10.25 Yellowish Watery Cowy
White
Niligiris Fair Good Good `14.00 White & Milky/
(KA) Dull White Creamy Cowy

Milma Very Light

(KL) Good Good Good `11.50 Yellowish Milky Milky
White
Cowma Good Very Good `13.50 White & Creamy Milky
(KL) Good Dull White

Cavins Very Very Good `12.50 White & Milky Milky

(KL) Good Good (450ml) Dull White

Vijaya Poor Good Good `16.00 Pure- Milky Milky

(AP) White
Health Very
Heritage Fair Good `14.00 White & Milky Milky
(AP) Good Dull White

Each criterion, sub-parameter, and parameter is rated individually on a

5-point scale. The rating given is 0 (Poor), 1, (Fair), 2 (Good), 3 (Very Good),
and 4 (Excellent). KL –Kerala, TN- Tamil Nadu, KN-Karnataka, AP-Andhra
Pradesh

turn overleaf

11
contd from pg 11
Standardised Milk
Brand offer & Health & Quality MRP Color Taste Smell
of Milk packing Safety Price
label (500ml)
Aavin
Green Very Good Good Light
Magic Good ` 13.00 Yellowish Creamy Milky
(TN)
Light
Arokya Very ` 16.00 Yellowish /
(TN) Good Good Good Yesllowish Powdery Milky
White

Nandini Good Fair Good ` 13.00 Yellowish Powdery Milky

(KA) White

Dull White/
Niligiris Very Very Good ` 16.00 Light Milky Milky
(KA) Good Good

Cavins Very ` 14.00 Dull White

(KL) Good Fair Good (450ml) Milky Milky

Health Very Dull White Creamy

Heritage Good Fair Good ` 17.00 Milky
Gold (AP)

Note: Note: When any parameter tested fails to meet the standard
requirement it is scored as Poor or Fair based on the extent of deviation from
the standard. When it meets the defined standards, it is given the scoring
of Good. When it exceeds the standards significantly and shows appreciable
innovation it will be rated Excellent.

We present the results against these criteria, which in our opinion is fair, and
without any subjective element. The consumers are encouraged to study
these results and make their purchase decisions based on their requirements
and judgment.
In the comparative tests that CONCERT conducted, twenty five randomly chosen
participants were asked to observe the colour, taste and smell of the milk. Their
observation has been tabulated. The observation reported in the table pertains to the
opinion of the majority of the participants. If equal number of participants expressed
12
 Test Report on Milk

different observations, in such cases both the observations have been reported. The
prices of different brands of milk mentioned in the table above were the prevailing
MRP in the month of September 2011

SENSORY TEST
Sensory test is known as Organoleptic test (or OT). This permits rapid
identification of poor quality. No equipment is required but the milk grader
must have a good sense of sight, smell, and taste; this exercise which most
of have been doing on a day to day basis, is known as the organoleptic test.
In the comparative test that CONCERT conducted, twenty five randomly
chosen participants were asked to observe the colour, taste and smell of
the milk. Their observation is tabulated and pertains to the opinion of the
majority of the participants.

LABELLING
It is compulsory under Indian law that the label on every milk pack or the
plastic sachet should contain the following details:

P Name and complete address of Manufacturer and manufacturing/

packaging unit

P Name and type of product with appropriate prefix such as Toned, Full
Cream or Standardized.

P Name and full postal address of the dairy, Consumer complaints

phone number. Batch or Code No, Manufacturing date, Use by Date
MRP (Maximum retail price)

P Net Quantity in litre/millilitre (milk inside the sachet)

P Nutritional Information per 100 ml of the contents in each sachet
P Storage Instructions
The labels are supposed to provide valuable, useful information for the
guidance of consumers. They should be a tool for consumer education and
awareness. But sometimes, false, and wrong claims are made on the labels
as a marketing strategy to woo, deceive and misguide consumers. Such
methods are against the law.

13
Micro biology and volume of milk in the following brands did not conform
to the standards and the volume of milk in the 500 ml packed pouch was less.
Standard plate Coliform count Actual Volume
Brand of Milk count cfu/gm cfu/gm (500ml pack)

Aavin (Toned) 110,000 1400 -

Nandini 160,000 620 494.4 ml
(Toned)
Niligiris (Toned) - 150 499.3 ml

Vijaya (Toned) - - 491.8 ml

Aavin
(Standardised) 32,000 380 -
Aarokya
(Standardised) - 20 494.9 ml

Nandini 150,000 470 499.2 ml

(Standardised)
Niligiris
(Standardised) - 20 -
As per Standards:
The standard Plate count should not exceed 30,000 cfu* per gram.
Coliform should be absent.
*cfu means colony forming units.

Misleading Pictures on the pack

The milk packs of Arokya (toned and standardized), Nandini (toned and
standardized) and Vijaya (toned), depicts the picture of a cow and Cavin’s (toned
and standardized) milk sachets depict the udder of the cow. These pictorial
representations mislead consumers as packaged milk is not brought directly from
an animal or cow; but it is a processed one.

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO PACKAGED MILK IN ANY FORM SOLD IN OUR (OR ANY) COUNTRY
IS FRESH. MOST OF THEM ARE REFORMULATED IN DAIRIES TO ENSURE SAFETY TO
CONSUMERS.

14
 Test Report on Milk

Brand of Milk Claim on Label Remarks

Though hygienically
produced, cannot claim to
Nandini be fresh; it is reconstituted
(Toned &Standardized) milk and it reaches (after
Milma (Toned) Fresh & Pure
processing) the point
Cavin’s of use 36/48 hours after
(Toned & Standardized) procurement of fresh
milk from villages.

Aavin The claim healthy may be

(Toned & Standardised) Pure, Fresh & healthy accepted but the milk is
not pure and fresh.
This is exaggerated,
Cowma (Toned) Fat content as 3.3% ± 0.3 misleading and not in
conformance of the
labelling requirement
Best before 2 days is embossed Use by Date, which is a
near the joint// Three addresses mandatory requirement.
Niligiris are printed on the sachet, but Since it is embossed near
(Toned & Standardised) the legend to identify the one, the joint it is not legible.//
where this was packed, from Non conformance to the
these addresses is not given. standard
Use by Date, which is a
Vijaya (Toned) Best before one day mandatory requirement,
this is non conformance
to requirement.
Jersy refers to a breed of
Milma (Toned) Milma Jersey cow. The milk cannot be
claimed to be exclusively
from Jersy breed.

Hatsun(Toned )
Aarokya (Standardized)
Nilgiri
(Toned& standardized) Milk is not from a
Vegeterian Logo vegetable source but is
Heritage of animal origin.
(Toned & Standardized)
Cowma (Toned)
Cavin’s
(Toned & Standardized)

15
 WHAT DO THE TESTS REVEAL?
Nilgiris brand (toned milk) and Nandini brand (standardized milk) contained
Cane Sugar in the sample tested. Cane sugar is an adulterant added to milk to
increase the solid content and to get a better price. This should be absent.

Strange observations:
Cavin’s is marketed only in 450ml (Toned) and 900ml (Standardized) sachets in
Palakkad, Kerala which is not the case in other states.

Aavin milk is priced the least. But the retail shops sell this above the MRP
(maximum retail price) marked on the pack.

Dear readers the milk these animals produced was not intended for us. Jenny
Moxham put it down as a poem which `provides a lot of food for thought.

‘ We’re told we need the calcium to make our bones grow strong,
Yet cow’s get theirs from nice green grass, How did we get it wrong? ‘

Be sure the milk you consume is treated and rendered safe for consumption.
Choose the right brand and the right milk!

FOR YOUR SAFETY

P Wash the milk pack before putting it in the refrigerator.

P Do not freeze the milk as the pack can get damaged while trying to de-
freeze, contaminating the milk.
P Do not boil milk for long as it will destroy all the nutrients.
P Do not dilute milk with tap water.

Comparative Test Team

Trustee in charge of Project Mr. S. Ramani

Program Manager Mr. M. Mohan
Concert Lead Dr. N. Sankaran (Former GM (QC), Aavin)
Report compiled by Consultant Editor Ms. S. Sripriya
Edited By Ms. Nirmala Desikan
Special Supplement designed by Mr S. Baskar Rao / Mr Bhushanraj

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