Adulteration and Assessment of Raw Milk Quality in and Nearby Areas of Palampur Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

Milk is one of the essential food for human intake, especially for growing children, which contains various proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. However, milk is prone to adulteration, minimizing its quality and safety even as it has numerous benefits to consumers. Present research monitored the physicochemical quality and the level of adulteration observed for the milk samples which were directly retrieved from the consumer’s door. The study established that there was variations in different studied parameters in 120 collected raw milk samples where CLR (27.16±5.15), fat (4.07±1.53), SNF (7.94±1.70), Total solid (12.00%), Protein (2.92±0.58%), Lactose (4.38±0.82), Minerals (0.65±0.12) were assessed. As for the intentionally added substances formalin, starch, cellulose, maltose and boric acid were not present, while ammonium sulphate (9.10%), urea (6.66%), neutralizers (2.50%), detergent (10%), sodium chloride (30%), skim milk powder (1.66%), sugar (2.50%), glucose (3.33%), hydrogen peroxide (45.83%) and pond water were found in different percentages. The investigation was carried out on the problem of adulteration faced and awareness regarding the quality of milk and its variations which was needed for better quality check system. The investigation made awareness amongst the society about the health dangers linked with the contaminated milk advancements in dairy equipment’s and farming techniques can also enhance the milk quality. Testing helped to measure the nutritional contents of milk including fats, vitamins and minerals. Study provided information about factors affecting milk quality and better storage conditions.