Diwali 2024: Quick tips to quality test your sweets and dairy products at home this festive season

Diwali 2024: The festive season is all set to knock at your door, and Diwali is waiting to cheer you up. Sweets are an indispensable part of celebrations in India, and their demand skyrockets when the festival season knocks on the door. The market is filled with a large variety of sweets that fill hearts with joy and add colour to the celebrations. However, during this season, the influx of sweets in markets can leave consumers unsure about their choices and raise concerns about food safety, as cases of adulteration in khoya, mawa, milk products, and other dairy-based sweets become more common. many use artificial additives and low-quality ingredients, which pose potential risks of health complications to unaware consumers purchasing the sweets.

To counter this, FSSAI has issued guidelines to assist consumers in the identification of adulterated products and to avoid the same. Thus, in this manner, buyers can remain safe while consuming sweets and dairy items during festivals simply by conducting a few tests on those items.

How to check adulteration in milk and milk products?

1. Detection of water in Milk

Testing method: 

• Put a drop of milk on polished slanting surface.
• Pure milk either stays or flows slowly and leaves a trail.
• The adulterated milk will flow immediately without leaving any mark.

2. Detection of detergent in Milk

Testing method: 

• Take 5-10 ml of milk with an equal amount of water.
• Shake the milk thoroughly.
• If there is detergent in milk, a dense lather will be formed.
• In the pure milk, a thin layer will be formed due to agitation.

3. Detection of starch in milk and milk products (Khoya, Chenna, Paneer)

Testing method: 

• Boil 2-3 ml of sample with 3 ml of water.
• Let it cool down and then add 2-3 drops of tincture of iodine. 
• If the sample turns blue, it indicates presence of starch.

4. Detection of mashed potatoes, other starches in ghee and butter

Testing method: 

• Take half teaspoon of ghee or butter in a transparent bowl.
• Add 2-3 drops of tincture of iodine. 
• Formation of blue colour will indicate the presence of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and other starches.

5. Detection of chalk powder in sugar, pithi sugar, jaggery

Testing method: 

• Take transparent glass of water.
• Dissolve 10 gram of sample in water. 
• If  sugar, pithi sugar or jaggery is mixed in with chalk, the adulterant will settle down in the bottom.

6. Detection of aluminium leaves with in silver foils

Testing method: 

• Take some portion of the leaf and crush it between two fingers. 
• If Pure silver leaves will be easily crushed and crumble to the powder form while aluminium leaves will only break into smaller shreds. 
• Further take the suspected silver leaves and make it in the form of a ball and burn it with the help of a flame. 
• Pure silver leaves burn away completely leaving glistening balls while aluminium leaves are reduced to grey ash.

7. Detection of coloured dried tendrils of maize cob in saffron

Testing method: 

• Genuine saffron will not break easily like artificial. Artificial saffron is prepared by soaking maize cob in sugar and colouring it with coal tar. 
• Take a transparent glass of water and add small quantity of saffron. 
• If saffron is adulterated, the artificial colour dissolves in water rapidly. A bit of pure saffron when allowed to dissolve in water will continue to give its saffron colour so long as it lasts. 

Be cautious if sweets appear excessively bright, it may be due to synthetic coloring agents or chemicals. It's wise to check the taste and smell before purchasing, as this can help detect any unusual flavors or odors that may indicate the presence of artificial additives.

Also Read: When is Diwali 2024, October 31 or November 1? Know correct date, muhurat, significance and city-wise timings

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