How To Know If Your Milk Is Pure? 5 Easy Tricks To Find Adulteration

Milk is a common household item in Indian households as it provides essential nutrients and antioxidants. However, due to various reports of tampering practices (adulteration) with harmful chemicals such as water, starch, detergent and synthetic milk, the consumers' concern about the purity of milk has become a growing issue. Tampering with milk not only diminishes the nutritional content but also poses serious health dangers. Given the rise of milk adulteration, it is now essential to determine that the milk we consume is safe (pure). Fortunately, there are simple methods to check milk's purity at home.

Tricks To Find Adulterated Milk

Water Test

The water test is a simple procedure for testing milk for cleanliness at home. Pour milk into a clean, clear glass and hold the glass up to the light. If the milk tends to be thin or watery or appears too clear, it may indicate added water and a subsequent loss of quality and safety in the milk.

Starch Test

A few drops of iodine tincture added to a cooled sample of milk can help identify whether starch has been added to the milk. If the milk turns blue in color, then starch is present and the nutritional value of the milk is reduced, which may cause further digestive issues.

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Detregent Test

A sample of milk in a bottle mixed with equal parts water and shaken should only show thin, dissipating froth if detergent has not been added. Milk mixed with detergent will create a high froth, thick and long-lasting, which will appear as soap bubbles.

How to check the purity of milk? (Image Credits: Canva)

Boiling Test

To check the quality of milk, you can take some milk, pour it into a shallow pan, and boil it. Quality milk will produce a significant amount of foam. Milk that does not foam while being boiled indicates that the milk may have been watered down or contaminated with another liquid.

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Formalin Test

To check for formalin in milk, take 10ml of milk in a test tube and add 2-3 drops of concentrated sulphuric acid. If the milk does not change, the milk is uncontaminated. If a purple or blue ring forms, it indicates the presence of formalin. This means the milk should not be consumed and is unsafe for human health.