New technology developed to detect milk adulteration

A new technology to detect adulteration in milk has been developed by CSIR-Central Electronic Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI) at Pilani in Rajasthan, Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday.

"The new technology is based on acquiring electrochemical fingerprint coupled with multivariate data analysis technique. Globally, there is no system available based on similar methods. This is a fully Indian concept," the minister said.

CSIR-CEERI is a premier research institute in the field of electronics established in 1953 under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The technology will cost around Rs.70,000 to Rs.1 lakh. The milk detection process will take nearly 40-45 seconds and the cost of testing will be as low as Rs.0.05 to Rs.0.10.

The technology has been transferred to two industries -- Rajasthan Electronics and Instrument, Jaipur and Alpine Technologies, Surat.

In a written response in the Lok Sabha, the minister said: "The technology excels in its ability to detect known and unknown adulterants in milk and it has great potential to be used widely in dairy industries.

"The adoption and deployment of this technology in as many villages and milk societies as possible would be a step forward in enhancing the standards and quality of milk. Besides, it will also help in generating employment."

According to a FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) survey in 2011, the most common adulterants in milk are addition of water, glucose, skimmed milk powder, urea, detergent, caustic soda, which are very hazardous to life.