Detect adulterated milk

When technology is used and comes at an affordable price, it becomes an indispensable tool to help improve the quality of our lives. We all are very much aware about how the milk that we drink everyday is adulterated. The usage of caustic soda, detergents, refined oil, and even white paint in milk is well known. But how do we then ensure that the milk that we consume is unadulterated?

There is a new instrument which can check and tell us within 45 seconds whether the milk is adulterated or not. This is developed by CSIR Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute, Pilani, Rajasthan. This new kit can detect various kinds of adulterants, such as urea, water, detergents and other chemicals, all in one machine. This is not a household machine but to be used at collection centers.

And the cost? When done on the currently available machines, the cost is around Rs.4.5 lakh while this new machine costs R.70,000 to Rs.1 lakh. The cost of testing comes up to under Re 1 per sample of milk. More importantly, an expert analysis is not required.

Currently, the government has put the new tech into the market in about 40 milk collection centres, including Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan, are using the instrument. The government aims to spread the use of the instruments to as many areas as possible.