Adulterated milk and fake paneer are rampant in the market today, posing a serious health risk. The good news is that you can check their purity at home without any expensive equipment. This article will teach you simple home remedies to identify adulteration in milk and paneer and keep your family safe from diseases.
Why is it important to check the purity of milk and paneer?
Milk and paneer are essential parts of the Indian diet. From strengthening children's bones to providing adults with protein and calcium, these dairy products play a vital role. However, adulteration in these products can be dangerous to health. In recent years, several cases of fake milk and paneer seizures have emerged, clearly indicating that blindly trusting everything in the market is not wise. Therefore, it has become crucial to be vigilant and check their purity at home.
Common Adulterants in Milk
To increase profits, many vendors add harmful substances to milk, such as:
- Water: To dilute the milk.
- Urea: For froth and thickness, but it's a poison for the body.
- Starch: To make the milk appear thicker.
- Detergents and synthetic milk: To create whiteness and froth, which are extremely harmful.
How to identify adulteration in paneer?
To make fake paneer, milk powder, vegetable oil, starch, and chemicals are used. This maintains the texture of the paneer, but eliminates its taste, nutritional value, and quality. Consuming fake paneer is slow poison for your health.
Easy Ways to Check for Milk Adulteration at Home
1. How to identify water adulteration?
Drop a few drops of milk onto a smooth surface. Pure milk will leave a white trail as it spreads. If water has been added to the milk, it will spread quickly without leaving a mark.
2. Identify Detergent
Mix 5-10 ml of milk with an equal amount of water and shake well. If excessive froth forms, it indicates the presence of detergent. Real milk produces only a slight froth.
3. Check for Starch Adulteration
Mix a small amount of milk (2-3 ml) with 5 ml of water and boil. After cooling, add 2-3 drops of iodine tincture. If the color turns blue, it indicates the presence of starch adulteration in the milk.
How to check for paneer adulteration at home
- Identify by smell and taste: Smell and taste the paneer. Real paneer has a mild milky aroma and taste. If not, be cautious.
- Check the texture: Fake paneer feels rubbery to the touch. It quickly returns to its shape when pressed.
- Identify adulteration by boiling: Boil a small piece of paneer in water and add pigeon pea (arhar dal). If the water turns reddish after 10 minutes, the paneer is adulterated.
Harmful Effects of Adulterated Milk and Paneer
Consuming adulterated milk and fake paneer over a long period can lead to several health problems, such as:
- Adverse effects on kidneys and liver
- Risk of serious diseases like cancer
- Malnutrition and weakness in children
- Digestive problems
- Purity is essential not just for taste, but also for health.
Stay Alert, Stay Healthy
Avoiding adulterated food is not easy in today's time, but it's not impossible either. You can check the purity of milk and paneer at home using some simple and inexpensive methods. Become aware yourself and alert others to curb the tricks of adulterators.
