Milk has often been recognised as a symbol of purity and nutrition in every household and is a staple in diets for people belonging to all walks of life across the globe. It has been a part of our lifestyle for as long as one can remember. Rich in nutrients that are essential for a body’s development including calcium, protiens and vitamins, it aids in maintaining stronger bones and overall health of individuals. It has been the ideal food preferrence for new born babies while it is also considered important and recommended by doctors to include in your diets as adults. However, the increasing prevelance of adultrated milk has risen to be a significant threat to the public health as a whole. The concept of “adulteration in milk” refers to tampering with milk and contaminating it by adding substances into it, ranging from harmless substances that are used to increase volume of the milk like water to, sometimes, toxic chemicals intended to mask spoilage or enhance appearance.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations established June 1 as World Milk Day, an international day to recognise the importance of milk as a global food. It has widely been observed across nations every year on June 1 since 2001. Marking the occasion, I had the opportunity to talk to some of the certified people with regards to the dangers of adultrated milk and its harmful impact on the individuals consuming it.
Aman J Jain, CEO and Co-founder, Doodhvale, while talking on the subject asserted that the distribution of milk and dairy products from the farms to the households has seen a significant change over the years. “Historically milk had been produced in smallholder farming households whereby milking was done by hand and the milk was consumed within the homestead. This process was cost effective but had its own drawbacks in the matter of production capacity, product standardisation and delivery,” he explained. However, in the present time the process has become a more eleborate structure that is largely driven technologically by the dairy industry. Aman explained that the process starts at a large scale dairy where the cattle is reared and milking done through machines, booths and at parlors. ” Besides improving efficiency, these machines come with added benefits of hygiene and uniform production of milk. The milk is rapidly cooled down and placed in chillers for storage in cooler temperatures to minimise bacterial development.”
He went on to further elaborate on the journey of milk and dairy products from farms to the household. He stated, “The milk is then collected, tested for key parameters of adulteration and quality, and transported in insulated milk tankers to the processing companies. Here, it undergoes pasteurisation, which is a process that involves heating the milk to a given temperature and then rapidly cooling down, to eliminate dangerous microbes but not harming the nutrients present within the milk. This step is very essential for the quality and safety of milk and dairy products in the markets. The regulatory measures also follow a standard procedure that ensures that the milk that is taken to the processing plant is not contaminated in any way. The milk is then transferred into various forms for packaging such as the bottles, and pouches depending on the customers’ tastes and market requirements. Other additional end products include cheese, yoghurt and butter, which are also available, thus, giving the consumer a diverse choice. The distribution phase involves delivering these packaged products to the retailers and supermarkets in the refrigerated trucks and also ensuring the cold chain to maintain the quality of the products when they are in the shop. From there, consumers take the milk and the dairy products to their homes with them.”
Seconding Jain’s explanation, Richa Anand – Chief Dietician, Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai asserted that currently fresh milk from the farm is directly delivered to the consumers, and is always likely to be naturally pure and fresh. ” However, owing to increased urbanization and the requirement for the product to have a longer shelf life, consumption of packaged milk increased causing health concerns over its cleanliness,” she said while talking about the journey of the milk and the purity of packaged milk. According to her, the present packaged milk may seem to be pure to consumers but some products are still likely to contain some level of adulteration. This adultration, as she mentioned, can range from water, detergents and even dangerous chemicals that are often found to be added to the milk in order to increase its volume and shelf life.
Contradicting her opinion, Aman asserted that his organisation is one of the companies that take special care in order to ensure the purity of the packaged milk. He asserted, ” Much quality control is conducted on the packed milk to ensure it has met all the standards needed for human consumption. The different processes or steps that food undergoes before it is placed in a pack include essential steps that ensure optimum hygiene and quality are observed. Amid milking, the milk is also quickly cooled and carried in tankers with insulating covers to the processing centre, where the milk undergoes through screening to remove any contaminants and impurities. The milk, then, goes through the process of pasteurisation at the processing plant; here milk is heated to a given temperature in order to kill the bad bacteria in it but at the same time does not harm the nutrients present in the milk. It is, then, homogenised to ensure a uniform texture and consistency of the food which can be sometimes seen in foods such as smoothies. In all these steps, the milk is subjected to several tests in order to determine if it contains any form of adulteration/contamination according to the regulation as set by the food safety bodies. Since post processing can take some time, packaging is done in aseptic conditions to avoid unwanted contact with bacteria. A conveyor system for transportation, storage, and display for milk products is specifically made to provide a cold chain to ensure the milk does not spoil, as well as has not been contaminated by external factors before being consumed by the public.”
He highlighted that such errors are quite rare, even with frequently used high-volume and large distribution volume products, sometimes due to a violation of the cold chain or improper handling. He also added that most of the packaged milk sold in the market today is genuinely pure, safe, and meets all the stringent laws that control authorities set out for milk producers, making it easier for the customers to get their needed supply of nutrition. “This evolution is a sign of the industry’s constant development towards the consumer’s needs and elevated requirements regarding both quality and safety aspects,” he pointed out in stark contrast with Richa’s opinion of the adultration of packaged milk in the present day scenario.
Talking about the dangers of adultrated milk, Jain asserted “Contaminants that are often found to be added to the milk can make the milk substandard for human consumption hence can lead to severe diseases such as gastrointestinal disorders, renal disorders, and even chronic toxicity.” Agreeing with the statement, Aman elaborated that adulteration of milk can adversely affect the health of consumers and can diminish the useful potential of one of the most necessary food products. “Water, detergent, urea, dartch and synthetic milk are some of the most frequently used adulterants that not only diminish the nutritive value of milk but also introduce qualitatively different substances to the human organism. Thus, the use of contaminated milk produces a number of consequences with regard to the health of individuals,” he added.
The Short term effects of consuming managed puffed milk among inidivduals can include problems of vomiting, stomach injuries, abdominal pains and cholera. Some of the substances that are normally added to the milk to increase the estimated protein quantity may also pose certain serious problems such as digestive disorders and kidney failures. It is notable that for children who are more susceptible to illnesses, tainted milk poses a severe threat to their physical and psychological growth as it results to futuristic health issues.
Aman added, “There are also chemical agents like formalin used in preservation to enhance durations that are highly toxic and can cause cancer. Considering the fact that these chemicals are ingested on a regular basis by most people, the end result of such intake is well known to cause organ disorders/ failures as well as cancer. Finally, other dangers include escalations of unregulated use of antibiotics in treating diseases or feeding low-grade antibiotics and hormones in milk to boost milk production, dangers that lead to antibiotic resistant diseases or hormonal imbalances in the consumer.”
Richa Anand highlighted some of the ways that individuals can point out adultrated milk and prevent or treat at the earliest, the harmful effects that might take place due to the consumption of harmful substances that contaminate the milk. She asserted that there are certain signs that consumers can see, feel, taste, and smell before they notice a product has dangerous additives and preservatives. “Some simple methods can be employed at homes in order to ascertain whether milk is adulterated or not; this can include boiling the milk in order to check for residues or using a lactometer to determine the density of the milk,” she pointed out.
In order to safeguard citizens’ well-being against such adultration, Aman suggests that it is crucial to establish strict control over the quality and purity of the product, as well as engaging in constant checks for the presence of unauthorised additives in milk. “Customers should also be wary when selecting milk to purchase and only go for the milk from the right source that meets the appropriate safety measures,” he remarked.
“The first precept is always to read the label. Specifically one should look for particular words like stabilisers, emulsifiers, and preservatives on the packaging of the milk or dairy product. These words are common signs that an additive is present,” Aman pointed out.
Particular preservative chemicals in foods that individuals need to be cautious of include sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, artificial colorings. However, it is wise not to take milk which is compounded because good milk should consist only of milk and may be vitamins A and D. Another important cue to tell adultrated milk from the pure one is to consider the shelf stability. Pasteurised milk lasts only a week longer or so whereas the milk with some additives added to it can take many weeks before going bad. In case, the expiration date seems to be much further than the company’s normal operational date, then it may well contain preservatives.
Aman suggested some of tests that consumers can conduct in order to tell whether the milk is pure or not. He mentioned, “take a cup of milk and pour a little into a plate and allow it to stand for a day at room temperature. Ordinary, pure milk left to ferment should turn sour and develop curd within 24-48 hours. Depending on what state it is in, it might contain preservatives if it has stayed in that form.”
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The global markets have set differeing standards of milk to ensue the quality of milk. “Some countries such as USA, Canada and those in EU have standards that check on the purity of the milk. However, developing world endures more severe challenges with regards to forgery of milk since they do not provide a competent law to check on the producers as their counterparts in the developed world do,” Richa stated, talking about the global standards of milk, which Aman also seconded. He stated, “Most countries have set standards in handling milk to meet certain quality standards that enhance the safety of the product and its nutritional value. These recommendations presented by organisations such as the Codex Alimentarius Commission cover bacterial count, somatic cell count, antibiotic residues, and preferable amount of additives and preservatives.”
“Hitherto, the European Union and New Zealand, United States of America in particular have put in place very strict testing and quality measures. In this case, antibiotics and other drug residues are equally regulated for possible traces found in the feed to ensure that they are at a safe level. But, there are some countries in the world particularly in Asia and African regions where these standards may not strictly be followed due to weak economies and other structures. This results in concerns relating to impostor milk products; those that have been adulterated with water, chemicals, and non-dairy fats, those that contain health-compromising additives, and other contaminants,” Aman further explained.
Therefore, consumption of pure milk as opposed to adulterated milk is known to have a swift and distinctive difference in terms of the nutritional benefits as well as health. Milk provides quality protein, calcium, vitamins A, D, and B12, potassium and phosphorus . These nutrients are very essential for aspects such as bone density, muscle power, and metabolism in the human body. “For example, a serving of pure milk contains approximately 8 grams protein, 300 milligrams calcium, and a range of other nutrients that can help support immune, vision and skin health,” Aman explained
A similar point of view was put forth by Richa as she stated, “From a nutritional point of view, it is a drink, adulterated milk though has lower nutritional value as it contains diluted nutrients and toxic substances which are poisonous to the human body thus, canceling out the nutritional value of pure milk. It is crucial to maintain milk purity since it should remain healthy and avoid constituting a danger to consumers.”
Taking the same view point, Aman added, “Even more risky, some of these adulterants such as detergent, and urea, can have a very negative impact on the health of the users. Concerning the internal negative effects, their effects include causing diarrhoea through surface tension reduction by detergents while chemicals like urea and other have an opportunity to burden the kidneys and liver and cause long lasting organ failures . Adulterated milk may also contain bacteria because of the handling and hygiene dangers while the milk is being adulterated, making it a contributing factor to the spread of certain diseases associated with foods.”
In conclusion, it has been noted that the consumption of adulterated milk poses certain nutritional implications because the milk is often devoid of some essential bioactive compounds that are present in pure milk like lactoferrin and immunoglobulins that are essentials in boosting the immune system and fighting off infections. It is these compounds that are essential for the development and for general well being of individuals in the society across the various age brackets.
Thus, even though consumers have an easier access to packaged milk, additional care should be taken while consuming them and more effective legislations must be implemented for consumers to obtain unpolluted and unadulterated milk. When it comes to an individual’s health, it is advisable that one can be healthier and avoid adverse health effects of contaminated milk by taking pure milk as it contains better nutrients and bioactive compounds for the body.
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