Milk adulteration is a major issue in Pakistan that decreases the nutritional value and increases health risks. Common adulterants added to milk include water, urea, formalin, starch, bicarbonates, detergent, salt, and vegetable oil. Tests are conducted in milk laboratories to detect adulterants using methods like DMAB for urea and titration for acidity. Safety protocols must be followed in laboratories, and awareness campaigns along with infrastructure improvements throughout the milk supply chain can help address milk safety issues.

2. MILK ADULTERATION
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3. Table of contents
Introduction
Milk Adulteration
Use of adulterants in milk
Process Flow Chart
Equipments
Tests for Adulteration
Milk laboratory safety protocol
Suggestions to address milk safety issues 3

4. Introduction
Total
livestock
196 million
China
India
USA
Pakistan
Leading
countries in
milk
production
Livestock
Contributes
11% to GDP
Gross Milk
Production=
48 million
tonnes
20% milk
wasted in
2019-20
Slow growth
of
agriculture
sector
Reduced to
2.9% in recent
years
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5. Milk
5
Source of
nutrition • Provides macro and micronutrients
Annual per
capita
consumption
• Provincially, highest in Sindh at 246 kg.
Processing of
milk
• 3-4% goes to processing units
• 97% transported by gawalas to milk shops or
directly to consumers
Milk
Production
• 80% at small scale in rural areas
• 15% peri-urban
• 5% urban areas

6. Food Adulteration
Decreases nutritional
value of food
Increases risk of illness
Make the food unsafe
Harmful effects on
economy
Economic gain to
producers but loss for
consumers
Intentional
Un-
intentional
Food
Adulteration
Adding extraneous
matter
Use of prohibited dyes,
preservatives
Food produced
near industry
Unhygienic
conditions
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7. Milk Adulteration
Thickening
agents
• Salt
• Starch
• Sugar
• Urea
Preservatives
• Formalin
• Carbonates
• Bi-
carbonates
Others
• Vegetable
oil
• Detergent
• Soap
Hypertension,
kidney failure,
renal and eye
diseases

8. Use of Adulterants in Milk
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Multiple analysis of milk
samples from Rawalpindi and
Islamabad showed 100% water
adulteration
Detergents and soaps are
added to the milk to enhance
thickness which pose serious
threats to health.
Formalin added to preserve
milk for a longer period which
has a toxic effect on liver and
kidney
Urea is added to milk to
increase the SNF value and
density of watered milk

9. Commonly Added Milk Adulterants
Water Urea Formalin Starch Bicarbonates
Detergent Salt Cane sugar Vegetable oil Carbonates
Bleaching
powder
Boric acid Sulphates
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10. Process Flowchart
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Sample
collection in
sterilized
bottles kept in
ice boxes
Samples
transportation
to laboratories
under
controlled
conditions
Storage at -
4oC until
further
analysis
Tests for
adulteration
Microbiologic
al analysis

11. Equipment Used
pH
• Determined using a pH meter
Density, SNF, Fat, Lactose, Protein, Added water
• Determined using a lactoscan
Titratable Acidity
• Determined through titration
Electrical Conductivity
• Determined using a conductivity meter
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12. Tests for Adulteration
Sr. No. Parameters Method Indication Illustration
01. Urea Add 5 mL DMAB in 5 mL
of sample.
Distinct yellow
02. Formalin Add 5 mL conc. H2SO4
with a little ferric chloride
into the sample.
Blue/violet color
ring
03. Starch Add 1-2 drops of iodine sol.
in test tubes containing
sample.
Blue color
04. Cane sugar Add 1mL of prepared
resorcinol sol. in 1 mL
sample. Boil in water bath
for 5 mins.
Deep red color
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13. Tests for Adulteration
Sr.
No.
Parameters Method Indication Illustration
05. Detergent Add few drops of
bromocresol in 5 mL
sample
Faint violet
color
06. Soda Add few drops of
rosalic acid in 10 mL
sample
Red rose color
07. Vegetable
oil
9mL absolute alcohol
added in 1 mL of
sample and stand it for
5 minutes
Fat globules
sinking down
08. Skimmed
milk
powder
(SMP)
Conc. Nitric acid added
to 5 mL sample
Orange color
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14. Microbiological Analysis
Total Viable Count
Pour Plate Method
10 mL pour plate
agar on sample
Rotated for
few seconds
Incubate at
370C for 2-
3 days
Total yeast and mold count
Sample diluted using
peptone water
1 mL inoculated
on sabouraud
dextrose agar
plate
Put in
incubator
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15. Milk Laboratory Safety Protocol
• Proper facility supplied with power, isolated drainage system and HEPA
filtration to ensure air quality
• Laboratory should meet all the legal requirements and specifications and
having an ambient equipment storage space
• Personnel hygiene ensured through personal protection equipment (PPE)
• Equipment needed:
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Rapid
Testing kits
Homgenizer Lactometer Glassware Chemicals

16. Suggestions To Address Milk Safety Issues
Awareness of
harmful health
risks of
adulteration
Investment on
infra-structure
at farm level
for milk
storage
Milk
transported in
cold storage
to be
encouraged
Monitoring
and testing
throughout
milk supply
chain
Milk testing
kits provided
to dairy shops
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17. Literature Cited
• Aslam, S. B. S. K. M., Anmol, S., Hamza, F. S. A. R. A., Khan, F. A., & Akhter, R. (2019).
Qualitative Analysis of Milk Adulterants in Various Samples of Milk, Available In Local Market of
Lahore, Pakistan.
• Banti, M. (2020). Food Adulteration and Some Methods of Detection, Review. Int. J. Nutr. Food
Sci, 9(3), 86–94.
• Barham, G. S., Baloch, M. H., Shah, A. H., Khaskheli, G. B., Ahmed, S., Pirzado, M. T., &
Khaskheli, A. A. (2019). Evaluation of Milk Quality Vended at Nosharoferoz City of Sindh,
Pakistan.
• Choudhary, A., Gupta, N., Hameed, F., & Choton, S. (2020). An overview of food adulteration:
Concept, sources, impact, challenges and detection. International Journal of Chemical Studies,
8(1), 2564–2573. https://doi.org/10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i1am.8655
• Ghulam, S., Atta, H., Asad, A., Shoaib, A., Gul, B., Mansoor, T., & Atique, A. (2020). Risk of
Adulteration in Market Milk Supplied to Public Sector.
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18. Continued
• Iqbal, R., Yasmin, I., Tehseen, S., Khaliq, A., Chughtai, M. F. J., Ahsan, S., Khan, W. A., Nadeem,
M., Hleba, L., & Rebezov, M. (2020). Safety assessment of milk and indigenous milk products from
different areas of Faisalabad. Journal of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Food Sciences, 9(6),
1197–1203.
• Francis, A., Dhiman, T., & Mounya, K. S. (2020). Adulteration of milk: A review. J. Sci. Technol, 5,
37–41.
• Khetra, Y., Meena, G., & Arora, S. (2022). Buffalo Milk and Its Products: Composition, Nutrition
and Benefits. In Biotechnological Applications in Buffalo Research (pp. 121–143). Springer.
• Khurram Zia Khan. (2021, March 7). Milking Pakistan for what it’s worth. Dawn.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1611075
• Lin, W.-H., Hwang, C.-F., Chen, L.-W., & Tsen, H.-Y. (2006). Viable counts, characteristic
evaluation for commercial lactic acid bacteria products. Food Microbiology, 23(1), 74–81.
• Malpani, M., Rajput, P., Sohel, M., Pande, P., & Mane, V. (2018). Detection of food adulteration in
milk and milk products collected randomly in Akola Region. Methodology, 6, 7.
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