Milk Adulteration in Nashik: A Comparative Study on Different Adulterants Present in Milk

Abstract

Nashik, Maharashtra has seen an extensive spread of food adulteration issues, with emerging populations being especially at risk from its consequences. Milk is regarded as a complete food since it is rich in vitamins and minerals that support healthy bodily growth. According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying report 2021-22, about 878.94 tonnes of milk were produced. However, the quantity generated by producers is lower than that of consumers. Many common adulterants are used to enhance volume, simulate nutritious content, prolong shelf life and improve profit. This addition decreases the nutritive value of milk. Health risks from consuming adulterated milk include bacterial infections, chronic toxicity, cancer, gastrointestinal issues, renal damage, nutritional deficiencies and other health issues that rely on the adulterant. Thirty milk samples, comprising both packaged and dairy variants were passed through qualitative analysis to determine adulterants including formalin, salts, sugar, detergent, starch, and skimmed milk. Standard chemical tests were conducted to ascertain the presence of these substances. The results pointed out that a substantial measure of the samples contained adulterants, with ammonium salt, common salt and formalin being the contaminants detected most often. Compared to dairy milk, packaged milk samples showed elevated levels of adulteration, accompanied by traces of preservatives such as formalin detected as well. This research highlights the immediate necessity for more stringent quality control measures and regular testing to safeguard the safety of milk.

Introduction

Milk plays a vital nutritional and economic role in India, where dairying has been a traditional livelihood and the country is the world’s largest milk producer. In its natural form, milk is a highly nutritious food containing proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. However, milk quality is frequently compromised by bacterial contamination and, more seriously, by widespread adulteration driven largely by profit motives.

Milk adulteration in India is a major public health and ethical issue. Common adulterants include water, detergents, urea, starch, sugar, salts, preservatives (such as formalin and hydrogen peroxide), vegetable fats, pesticides, and even milk from other animals. These substances are added to increase volume, mask dilution, enhance density, prolong shelf life, or falsely elevate protein and fat content. Such practices can cause serious health problems, including organ damage, endocrine disruption, cancer, and metabolic disorders.

The text reviews major categories of milk adulterants, their purposes, and associated health risks, highlighting substances like detergents, ammonium sulphate, formalin, starch, cane sugar, sodium chloride, and skim milk powder. It also summarizes findings from multiple studies conducted in India and elsewhere, which show alarmingly high rates of milk adulteration and emphasize the limitations of traditional detection methods.

Various qualitative and quantitative techniques for detecting adulteration are discussed, ranging from simple chemical tests and lactometer readings to advanced analytical approaches such as mid-infrared spectroscopy, chromatography, electrophoresis, hyperspectral imaging, and machine learning–based systems. While technological advances have improved detection, gaps remain in real-world implementation, consumer awareness, and regulatory enforcement.

Overall, the text underscores that milk adulteration remains a serious challenge in India, threatening consumer health and trust. It calls for continued research, better detection technologies, stronger regulatory measures, and increased public education to ensure milk safety and quality.

Conclusion

One of the main motivations for milk adulteration is financial gain. The majority of the milk samples had adulterants introduced either purposefully or during manufacture and processing in accordance with one\'s own decision to make money. Because milk can be tainted with subpar, less expensive components or toxic substances including pond water, milk powder, cane sugar, urea, melamine, glucose, and detergents, tainted milk and milk products pose a threat to all of humanity. A number of health issues arise when people consume such contaminated and fake milk. High quality protein, important amino acids, and other vitamins and minerals, including as calcium, are all abundant in milk and are critical for healthy growth and development. Milk contributes to energy needs by providing fats and carbs. There are compounds in milk that help strengthen the immune system. Milk can help with vitamin absorption and digestion. However, there are serious health hazards associated with milk adulteration, which involves the addition of dangerous compounds, such as nutritional deficits, digestive issues, and even possibly toxic effects. Therefore, in order to guarantee the best possible health and wellbeing, it is essential to recognize and stay away from contaminated milk. Respondents from the low-income category were the least educated, less aware of their rights and obligations, and less aware of food adulteration. milk is a staple and complete diet in India, this analysis is done to educate the public about the health risks associated with milk production malpractices. To prevent milk adulteration in our nation, strict regulations, public education, and a well-organized dairy business are needed. Each and every departing human being must be aware of food adulteration.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Namrata Dhadnekar, Shamal Tavhare, Sayali Gaikwad, Keerthi Raja Rajeshwari, Fani Krishna Chenagani. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.